Sunday for Primavera

Hello Everybody

Hope your Memorial weekend is going well.
The early rain did not stop New Yorkers from entering Central Park. People are out there setting up their picnic areas with big plastic bags underneath them.

"Happiness is" getting to walk my friend Mr. Bo Jo this morning. He was happy to see me too.




These Mushrooms or fungus resemble the shape of a morning glory flower. I don't know what kind of fungus it is or is it edible. If central park was free of harmful bacteria, I would have free mushrooms. I think one of these would make an attractive garnish. I would add one of them on the side of the Zucchini Primavera recipe from the "Raw Food For Everyone" by Alissa Cohen. I topped mine with a Parmesan cheese made of cashews. The dish in the book calls for the Pine Nut Romano.
The Raw cheese takes a little time to make. I don't do that as of yet. I do a quick version of raw cheese.





ZUCCHINI PRIMAVERA

1 cup of cashews
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup fresh basil leaves
4 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large zucchinis, peeled into wide strips with a vegetable peeler
4 cups assorted unroasted vegetables for example : broccoli, carrots, corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, cauliflower, bell pepper, and peas, tossed with extra virgin olive oil, grated garlic, salt and pepper and dehydrate for 3 hours.
splash of extra virgin olive oil


1. Put the cashews, pine nuts, basil, 2 of the garlic cloves, the salt, and pepper in a vita-mix. Add 2 cups of water and blend until very smooth. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

2. Toss the zucchini pasta and warm-from -the-dehydrator vegetables with about half of the basil cream sauce, adding more as necessary. Divide among 4 plates. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on some salt and cheese shaving. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with your friends !



Sorry for the mess in the picture. A tenant was either moving out our in, so the back entrance has left over debris .
My outfit has been recycled. My grey sweater is now short sleeve. The once over-stretched lavender sweater was re-sewn and made into a tank top. The light color skirt was once a weird fitting dress. I cut the top section off and added rubber in the waist. I'm wearing grey rain boots from Hunter.


Thank You for Reading
Peace and Light to You.

Lemon Sunday

Hello Every one,
Lemons have been on my taste buds for the past three days. A lemon-ginger Aide to drink and Lemon Pudding were made. I understand the craving. Spring season is the time when the body intelligence wants to do its"spring cleaning". Lemons are full of vitamin C and fiber. Lemons are perfect to help clean the inside. Plus a great cleanser for the liver and blood. Just don't over do it because lemons can thin the blood.
The raw recipe for lemon pudding will not be yellow. It will be green. The texture is velvety smooth and the taste is wonderful. A little Agave nectar for extra sweetness may be needed. From Alissa Cohen "Living on Live Food".

LEMON PUDDING

1 cup dates, pitted and soaked
1 avocado
2 whole lemons, peeled

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Enjoy.

I know , I know......... you read the Avocado. It took me a while to trust that Avocado is a fruit and is the foundation for most raw food recipes. The lemon will take over the vegetable flavor and the dates will be sweet.



I've been working on a design inspired by the early 1930's lingerie patterns. I love going on line and observing the delicate undies of that time. Dandelion Vintage sells vintage trimmings and textiles as early as the Edwardian Years. I brought the white lace trim from the early 1900. The sewing was done by hand due to the delicate fibers. The tiny polka dot cotton fabric is from Fabric.com. Pin tucks are in the center bodice. The dress is lined with a light weight silk fabric.




The pattern is very simple, true to the 1930's slip designs.


Nice touch to add a blouse with a Dragon Design.


Thank You for Reading
Peace and Light to You

Raw Food Breakfast - Crepes

Hello Every One,

Weekends are my time to experiment with raw food. This morning I made my own version of cottage cheese and fresh fruit. The cottage cheese consist of - soaked cashews, grated coconut, agave syrup and lemon juice.






In the past, May was the change from the winter menu to a spring menu for baking quiche and heating up the grill to cook the crepes. Those amazing thin pancakes that can be stuffed with fruit, meat or vegetables. It was my highest illusion of sophistication when I found a recipe to make Crepes in my own kitchen. I had a recipe for Buckwheat Crepes that I loved. On special occasions, I became a french girl for two hours cooking crepes in the morning. Crepes are at there best when served with fresh whipped cream and strawberry sauce. Every once in a while I would eat at the "LA Gamine" restaurant in Chelsea. The chocolate crepe dish was heaven. Thanks to the French people from Brittany who created the Crepe. I still have this taste for crepes and there is a banana crepe recipe I use all the time. All you need is 5 to 6 ripe bananas to blend smooth and place in the dehydrator. I've been dehydrating banana crepes for a year now and gained some technique on making a consistency thick enough for a crepe. I wanted to make a sweet potato crepe, using one yam, 1/2 an apple and a pinch of fresh onion. I added flax seed flour to the mixture. The texture came out perfect to Spread on the teflex sheet and dehydrate for the next 4 hours. I turned over the crepe to dehydrate until it was firm enough to cut. How nice and golden. I was nervous because I didn't have a recipe for a Sweet Potato Crepe. Came out tasty.












I made my own fruit spread for my roll.

The "Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen has a few fruit sauces. You blend the ingredients in a food processor or blender.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE
1 cup of Strawberries
1 tablespoon honey

BLUEBERRY SAUCE
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon honey

PLUM SAUCE
4 Plums, pitted
1 teaspoon honey
1. Pit the plums and cut into fourths ( No need to peel the plums)






My Fruit sauce is made from a Mango and 1/2 of a Banana. The remaining banana is sliced to fill the roll.













I added my Cottage Cheese on top. Breakfast is served.




Here is a Cream Cheese Recipe from the "Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen. The texture is like the real Philadelphia brand. When I prepare this, I cut the recipe in half.

CREAM CHEESE

4 cups of macadamia nuts
2 1/2 -3 cups of water

1. In a Vita-mix or blender, blend nuts with enough water to turn over. Start with 1/12 cups of water, adding more as needed. ( Make sure you keep this as thick as possible).

2. Place mixture in a small bowl, covered with cheese cloth, and let it sit at room temperature for at least 6-8 hours.

3. Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy.




Mother Day is tomorrow and I want to wish you all a very wonderful, fun, peaceful and happy Day with your Mom. I believe that benefit increases steadily for one who has appreciation for their mother. For those of you who may not be in communication with you mom, if all she could give to you was birth, then have appreciation for your life. This will be my first year since my mom passed. I am remembering her by wearing a skirt from a suit I tailored for her. I studied tailoring at F.I.T. for two years for extra credit. I never completed my certification for tailoring but it was enough to create her suits. I had to take this skirt in. My mom was a pleasing 16 and I am a size 10. I did the entire suit by hand. No machine was used. It was not easy taking out my hand stitches. I made suits to last. This African Print is twelve years old.

These were my mom's earrings from the 70's. They are from Africa.


Today the temperature hit the 80's. I had to get the feet ready and quick. These gold gladiators are from BORN.

The denim jacket is from GoodWills Store.




Thank You for Reading
Peace and Light to You.

Questions Answered

Hello Every One,
I'm happy when a reader sends me a response or ask a question. I never know who is reading my blog. Thank you for reading.

One reader asked, If I was getting enough protein in my diet. She didn't believe vegetarians can be healthy.
Thank you Diane for your question. This is one of the reasons why I read books on my lifestyle or visit raw food web-sites and attend raw food gatherings. This supports what I am doing and questions I have of my own. The internet is the best place to find information you need. Especially, how much protein the body needs. Here are some sites to visit.
www.rawfoodtalk.com , www.living-rawfoods.com, www.rawtimes.com and www.sunfood.net.
I always have a small note pad of the list of foods rich in protein. The top foods to eat are: wheat 17%, oatmeal 15%, pumpkin 15%, cabbage 22%, and potato 11%. This list came from the " Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen.

Second reader asked, I don't have a dehydrator but I want to do raw foods, is there an alternative?
Thank you Angie for that question. When I first started my lifestyle, a dehydrator was not an immediate item to get. I used my oven for several months at the lowest temperature below 112 degrees. I was limited to the types of dishes I could prepare. For some reason the temperature of the oven was hotter in different seasons and the vegetables would burn. After I got my dehydrator, I was able to prepare a wider variety of dishes that kept their flavor. Make sure when you are ready to purchased a dehydrator that it is designed for even air flow. Look for models that have a temperature control device. This will enable you to maintain temperature below 112 degrees. I have seen some models that temperatures start out at 140 degrees. This is too high.




I thought I was going to be the only one wearing a white skirt. The moment I stepped out the back entrance, I saw these two gentlemen standing brightly in their whites. Look like New Yorkers are getting out of the winter black.
These friends had no idea the other one was wearing white until they met up. They are on their way to a church event.






The first Sunday in May is the 5 Boro Bike Tour. A 40 miles bike race.




A Latino Band supporting " A Life for Josia Foundation " played while the cyclist rode by. They are spreading the word to raise funds for Josia's treatment to help fight his Brain Cancer. alifeforjosia.blogspot.com . I read the blog............very touching.


Lunch was a tasty salad of marinated beets with walnuts over mix salad greens. My main dish was marinated collards, chick-peas and sprouted rice pilaf. Several slices of sweet pineapple with melted raw chocolate was satisfying. (There is no picture of the melted chocolate- some how I can't capture melted chocolate, it doesn't look appealing)

Now about my outfit, there is still a chill in the air.
sweater - American Outlet
white 3/4 sleeve top - American Outlet
white belt - Betsy Johnson
leather bag - BaBa Fashions Harlem (1945 Madison Avenue, btw 124th & 125th street)
Skirt - 1920's era - from Dandelion Vintage, www.dandelionvintage.com
shoes - John Fluevog.

Underwear in the 1920's was called under muslins. This includes camisoles, bloomers and under skirts and petticoats. The corset was worn over the camisole and bloomers. In the earlier days before the 20's, woman laced themselves so tightly and uncomfortably to meet the demands of the "pigeon" silhouette. The women of the 20's were saying thank goodness style has joined hands with health. The famous saying back then was "There can be no true beauty unless there is with it comfort too".
The new line or shape of "the corset" was patterned after a youthful 12 year old girl . ( the line was square)The tight 20 inch waist corset was gone and the lungs could take in a full breath.
Under muslins were made from the latest and most attractive designs. Only very fine quality Nainsooks( from a Hindi word, a soft, light cotton often woven with a stripe, from India). Nainsooks were the top materials for baby clothes. Also Cambrics were used( Cambric or bastiste, one the most dense kinds of cloth, is a light weight woven cloth, from Cambric France)
I'm still researching this garment. I'm not sure were the lace comes from. I know the laces and embroideries were of exceptional quality. The workmanship is the best. This is why the garment has lasted this long. Hand made lace of today can cost up to $300.00.

Mending was needed for this beautiful creation. I was nervous that the air would start tearing the fabric but it didn't. This is not the skirt to wear often. I keep it stored in tissue paper and in a separate box. I love how it opens at the waist.

Thank You for Reading

Peace and Light to You.

May Salads

Hello Every One and happy May to you !

Doesn't feel like spring today. Very chilly and rainy.

Towards the summer I look forward to preparing Watermelon soup and tasty salads. Salads were a big challenge for me because I never knew how to blend or combine vegetables. It was all about cutting up the celery, cauliflower or carrots into bite size pieces to prevent choking.
The majority of people think salads are all that is eaten when you are on a raw food lifestyle. You can tell when you are invited to a restaurant and view the menu. The variety is lacking when you are ordering a salad. When I'm around friends who are not raw foodist, I carry a request letter for the chef to combine fruit and vegetables I would enjoy eating.
The smartest invention is the Spiral Slicer I have in my kitchen cabinet. The root vegetables take on a creative thinner and curly appearance. This makes the salads eye catching. I love eating new combinations when it comes to salads. Salads should never be boring.

I found some fresh chick-peas in their
pods.This is my first time buying them like this. They are fresh and can be eating without the soaking or sprouting. They are very soft and green.














Chick-peas are a vegetarian source of protein. One cup supplies 14.5 grams of protein. This protein is made up of 18 amino acids. This includes glutamic acid, aspartic acid and arginine. Arginine is important for liver and immune system health. Also contains 12.5 g of fiber. I've got to make sure I'm on top of my protein intake. I will physically feel bad. If you decide to go on a raw food lifestyle do the research on ways to get enough protein in your diet. Chick peas are delicious when fresh mint and parsley are added to them .

Another good salad combo is Avocado-spinach-orange. Yum!
Enjoy.



I have this sweater blazer I'm not really crazy about. The attraction was the details in the weave. A tailored blazer in a heavier wool or cotton blend is the best . When I purchased this I immediately changed the buttons from plastic to wood. It has a more earthy appearance.




The dark teal pants are self-made and the denim blouse is from an outlet store.

Thank You for Reading
Peace and Light to You.