happy 4th! // raw lemon cream & berry cheesecake

the best holiday of the year is here! this is a perfect last minute treat for all of your fun festivities, and it is quick to whip up!

crust:

1/2 c activated buckwheat (or sprouted nut of choice)

1/2 c shredded coconut

1/2 c flax seeds

zest & juice of 1 lemon

6-8 juicy dates, pitted

pinch of high quality sea salt

2 T raw almond butter  

-add all the dry ingredients to your food processor and process until fine. add the rest of the ingredients and process until everything sticks together. press evenly into the bottom of a springform or tart pan & set in freezer. 

filling: 

1/2 c cashews soaked overnight

1 c meat from a young Thai coconut

1 organic banana 

juice & zest of 2 lemons

2 T raw honey 

1/4 t sea salt

1/2 t vanilla extract or seeds from a vanilla bean

6 T melted coconut butter*

-add everything to a high-speed blender and process until very smooth & creamy. pour 3/4 of the mixture over crust, smooth out & freeze. add either blended fresh berries, berry juice, or dehydrated berry powder to the remaining 1/4 batter until you've received your desired color. 

-smooth over the frozen cheesecake and top with fresh berries, goji berries, coconut, bee pollen, whatever you can find! 

-freeze until firm. slice, & share. 

here is a fun question to ponder today: if you were on your deathbed, and had lived 100 years, and you had all your dreams come true in this life and were now ready to die, how would you look back on this time in your life, whether hard or happy, and see it as perfect for your soul’s growth?

perfect for the 4th // chili-lime cucumber noodle & watermelon salad

topped off with some organic goats feta & raw pistachios, this is definitely a summer favorite!

ingredients: 

1 large watermelon, sliced into 1" pieces

noodles from 2 large cucumbers (I used a spiralizer, if you don't have one, get one here. they are so fun!)

flaked sea salt

chili powder 

raw pistachios 

high quality (raw organic if possible-cheese from goats & sheep tend to be less processed and easier on our system) feta cheese 

lime

extra virgin organic olive oil

2 t raw honey

cilantro

fresh mint

-toss cucumber noodles with juice of 1 lime, a drizzle of evoo, raw honey, handful of chopped mint & cilantro, & a little sea salt + chili powder. let marinate 10 minutes. 

-arrange watermelon chunks onto plates & sprinkle with flaked sea salt, chili powder & a bit of lime juice. add cucumber noodles to the plate & top with a few raw pistachios & feta cheese. 

-serve as a starter dish with your favorite dinner! we served it with a long time favorite family recipe of (incredibly unhealthy & delicious) ham & Swiss puff pastry. yum!

happy almost fourth you beautiful people. 

a different take on digestion

this might be a lengthy post, but trust me-worth reading.

like most people, i have Struggled (with a capital S) with digestive issues. maybe not as severe as most, but through a lot of trial and error, pill popping and enema taking (natural, herbal pills guys), i have come to realize my problem: i have never fully trusted my digestion. i have never relaxed enough at meals for it to do its work. i have never fully been embodied when it comes to dealing with my DS, I've just always assumed it was something i was eating that my body couldn't handle, food allergies, my hormones were off balance, i was low in magnesium etc... which were all very true, but they weren't the bulk of it. 
while those things (and many more) definitely play a role in a lot of us, may i suggest that for most of us, it is far beyond that? that it may be more stress, emotional and every day life problems that are negatively effecting the way we digest and assimilate our food? 
well, here are just a few fun graci facts that will maybe inspire you to try something different for a while:

there are a few things we often assault digestion with. they are: poor quality food, too much food, challenging food combinations, poor meal timing, stress, medications, toxic dietary beliefs (i.e. "food makes me fat"), lack of knowledge-especially around food allergies/sensitivities, and poor immunity. 

in over 75% of digestive cases, nothing is wrong with digestion per-se. digestion is simply telling us what’s up with our life, it’s giving us feedback about how and what we eat, and it’s asking us to consciously participate in the nutritive process... 

digestion is the challenge to embody.

the digestion of food = the digestion of life.

in other words, digestive disturbance is often the result of unassimilated events, emotions, experiences, lessons...the more we learn to digest/absorb all of our life, the more empowered and efficient our digestive metabolism can be. 
the phrase "all health or disease begins in the gut" is so true. the GI immune system is the largest collection of immune tissue in the body; 60-80%. the gut is an immune organ, big time. these are a few things that deplete gastrointestinal immunity: alcohol, sugar, smoking, caffeine, anti-biotic use, over-eating, poor food combining, poor quality food, allergenic foods, vaccinations, stress, heavy metal toxicity and excessive "cleanliness". here are things that will enhance gastrointestinal immunity: relaxation, pleasure, breathing, pro-biotic supplements and foods, alkaline forming diet, exposure to nature & organic soil, sleep, exercise and yoga/pilates.

so, your key tools to use for optimal digestion? 

• relaxation

• breathing

• slow

• time

• awareness

• body wisdom

• rhythm 

there is no such thing as perfect digestion. it isn't designed for perfection. digestive power and efficiency will come and go. it alerts us to what works, and what doesn't. digestion asks us to become conscious participants and teaches us and informs us, meal to meal. it asks to be noticed, for us to respond to it. it is inviting us into gut wisdom, the enteric nervous system. our DS is highly attuned to the stress response and our emotions. stress is a killer, especially when it comes to our digestion. it diminishes digestive blood flow, gut bacteria, gut enzymes, gut peristalsis, gut oxygen, gut immunity, stomach acid regulation, muscle tone of gut organs, bowl movement regulation, and nutrient absorption. 

it really is a simple science: stress response = sympathetic activation = digestive shutdown. 

relaxation response = parasympathetic activation = digestive activation. 

the  physiologic stress response is caused by anxious thoughts, difficult life experience, negative emotions – sadness, grief, shame, etc., moving too fast, eating too fast, “multi-tasking”, living too fast, survival based mentality and more. 

be calm.

especially when you eat. 

there is another phrase i love that says "we eat ourselves sick and digest ourselves back to health". in this world, the obsession for hard abs is a distorted attempt for true core strength, centeredness, and “solar power”. good digestion means good rhythm which = embodiment. 
good digestion grounds us, centers us and balances us. 

have you ever heard someone say "i just had this gut feeling!" that is gut wisdom-the brain in the belly. if your food issue or health challenge was a divine message, what would that message be? if the universe, your body, was asking you to learn something deeper, what might that be? 

cantaloupe-basil granita // coconut whip

...or for the unofficial cook like myself, this is simply a fancy snowie. the kids and adult guests will dig it.

this dessert is rather easy to make and tastes light & lovely. it can be made with any natural sugar & fresh fruit of your choice! 

coconut whip:

3/4 c firm coconut cream (from the top of a can of full fat coconut milk set in the fridge overnight, or make your own)

1/2 t vanilla extract or a pinch of vanilla bean powder

2-3 T sweetener of choice (I prefer raw honey or a few drops of stevia until it is barely sweet)

1 T melted coconut butter*

-add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and use an electric hand whisk to whip up until light and fluffy. set in fridge for 10 minutes before serving. 

granita:

1 large cantaloupe, cubed

10 leaves fresh basil

juice of 2 limes

2/3 c coconut sugar, raw honey, pure maple etc... 

-roughly chop basil leaves. add to a sauce pan the lime juice & sweetener + 1 T water. bring to a simmer while stirring until sugar is dissolved (about 2 minutes). remove from heat & stir in basil leaves. cover & steep for 20 minutes. once finished, strain out the leaves & add 1/2 of the cantaloupe to your blender along with the infused syrup. pulse a few times and then purée mixture completely. add in the rest of the melon & purée. pour mixture into a 9x13" glass dish, cover with plastic wrap and set in freezer for 1&1/2 hrs. check the granita, when it starts to freeze around the edges, stir with a fork. repeating this process every 45 or so minutes until it all turns icy. 

-sugar the rims of 8 small glasses by running a lemon, cut in half along the edge and dunking the rim of the glass in fine sugar (I used lakanto here, coconut works too!). spoon granita into each glass, top with a dollop of coconut whip & serve immediately. 

colorful thai peanut curry chop salad w/ fresh seared tuna

one of my bigger priorities when cooking (besides the quality of the ingredients) is that the food has to be pretty! the digestive process really starts with our eyes-so if you look at a dish that looks appetizing, colorful and beautiful, your saliva starts going, your brain tells you it's time to eat, you smell the yummy food which kicks it into gear even more, you start to de-stress, and you are happy! 

sometimes it is necessary to throw something healthy together quick into a tupperware to take to work, and the lest of your worries is what it looks like. but any chance I get, I will slow down to make my plate look beautiful (especially when I am cooking for others). I'm no plating pro-but I give it my best and put all the love I have into it. a variety of colors is key! eat the rainbow-and no, skittles don't count. 

let each meal, each plate, be a work of art. 

then, before you enjoy it slowly and mindfully, chewing each bite until it's liquid, bless your food. however you may do it is perfect. 

thank God, the animals, the plants etc... that sacrificed themselves for the sake of your nourishment. 

bless your body, to assimilate the nutrients fully, that it may nourish, strengthen and uplift your physical, mental and spiritual. 

then, enjoy, guiltless, stressless, and full of love! 

this may be the single, most difficult thing for us Americans to do. dare I say it be the most important?

this salad consists of fresh, wild caught tuna, organic bell peppers, rainbow carrot ribbons, sprouts, mango, cilantro, red onion, raw cashews and avocado, all over a bed of crispy romaine and drizzled with a creamy peanut-lime coconut curry dressing. now, get on it:

salad:

chopped romaine 

sprouts

thinly sliced, red, orange and yellow bell peppers

rainbow carrot ribbons (take a potato peeler to the carrots=perfection)

fresh, juicy mango

avocado

seared fresh wild caught tuna fillet (a good quality canned works too-or salmon!)

chopped red onion

cilantro leaves

raw organic cashews 

toss together however you may. then add dressing:

1/3 c full fat coconut milk

2 t pure maple syrup

2 t coconut aminos

juice of 2 large limes

1 t lime zest

1-2 T raw wild jungle peanut butter (almond works just as great also!)

1 T curry powder

-whisk-

enjoy! 

just for fun:

my sexy chef searing tuna like a boss.