Jim here… Yesterday I promised to hypnotize you, so here it is (below). This is something I published elsewhere long ago, slightly modified. Interestingly, in the original version, I’d made reference to various cooked food items — for example, describing the smell of fresh-baked muffins as comforting. Well, as pleasant as that smell may be to everyone, I just thought it would be odd to include it here on a blog devoted to raw foods.

I think, by the way, that next week I may post a piece on aroma and how it dovetails with raw foods. I’m sure there are interesting things to write about that topic. For now, I’ll simply point you to the funny hypnotism picture, below. While it characterizes hypnotism as a sort of mystical power wielded over another’s true will, that’s definitely not the case. As you’ll see, the text below is really just a very innocent, very calming, relaxing suggestion. Read it seriously and see if you aren’t relaxed and happy afterward. Have a great weekend!

Calm yourself … take a moment and simply breathe. … Breathe again, slowly, more deeply — consciously inhaling, and then slowly releasing. It feels good to breathe like this, doesn’t it?  Keep it up… repeating as you read. If there are distractions present, do your best to tune them out, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Soon you’ll notice that you’re beginning to relax, feeling more at ease than before … maybe you’re at work right now, surfing the web while you’re supposed to be working … but that’s okay because it feels good to read this and you deserve to take a moment and feel good … or you may be at home or somewhere else reading this — maybe in a sunlit cafe, perhaps sipping a warm mug of herbal tea, enjoying the rich aromas and the ambiance, the soothing music piped in from above, the other customers happily interacting … you may have other things to do today, but that’s okay because reading this and feeling the calm that I’m describing makes you feel good … and, though your body is feeling more and more relaxed as you read this, your mind is wide awake, your consciousness sharp … in fact, in this moment all of your cares and worries fade away …. see how relaxed you feel now? Isn’t it wonderful?!  As you continue reading this text, you’ll feel better and better — better than you’ve ever felt … in fact, you’re beginning to feel very happy …. that’s right, happy and euphoric! … at first, it’s just a small smile coming across your face … like a vivid happy memory from your childhood, or the remembrance of a dear friend … and then the happiness intensifies as you read every word of this post … the pleasant feeling washes over your body as though it were warm water or a fluffy comforter straight from the dryer … you smile fully now, so relaxed … those cares and worries from before so unimportant now as you simply enjoy this moment’s peace … it’s just like being in a sunbeam, isn’t it? … so relaxed, warm, carefree, and comfortable … thanks for joining me here … our time is nearly up now, but you’re not sad … instead, you know that this happy feeling will stay with you throughout the day and, in the future, if you’re feeling sad or anxious, all you need to do is return to this post and experience the bliss once again. When I count to three, you will leave this post, and maybe this blog … perhaps you will comment, perhaps you won’t … that doesn’t matter, anyway … what matters is that you will finish reading this feeling better than ever, completely refreshed and ready to attend to the rest of your day. One … two … three. Have a nice day!

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Recently, the wife of a friend of ours decided that she wanted to lose 20-25 pounds. As far as we know, she follows pretty much a “Standard American Diet.” We’ve heard that she doesn’t care for red meat, but she does eat other meats, plus a good deal of dairy (which, we believe, she regards as a healthy food choice). She’s apparently tried a number of exercise regimens, and a few fad diets, with no luck on losing these 20-25 pounds. (Frankly, we haven’t seen her many times, but would not have guessed that she had 25 pounds to lose. But, we’ll save “self image” as a topic for for further posts.) In any case… Frustrated, she decided to see a hypnotist!

Our friend accompanied his wife to the initial consultation. He said it was actually interesting. The hypnotist basically sits you down and walks you through some fundamental psychology, demonstrates a few of the primary principles of suggestion (e.g., showing you how easy it is to, say, imagine the sourness you would experience when biting into a slice of lemon), and then lays out how the program works.

From what we understand, it’s not the dramatic, stereotypical, mesmerizing process that you might imagine (thinking of Hollywood scenarios). Rather, it’s simply using your mind’s power to help. In our friend’s wife’s case, for instance, one particular goal was to surmount her apparent inability to pass by her boss’ candy bowl each day for a handful of peanut M&Ms. That sounds simple enough, right?

In cases like this, it’s probably a worthwhile idea to try hypnosis for things like avoiding foods that are clearly junky. But, one of our concerns was this: What else are you going to try to “program” yourself to do (or not do)? “Program” may be too strong of a word here, and possibly not as precise as it should be. After all, it’s widely said that you can’t be forced, under hypnosis, to do anything that you wouldn’t ordinarily do. On the other hand, how many of you, like us, have attended hypnotism stage shows in which audience participants are routinely made to act like animals (among other crazy hypno-tricks)? Still, when we say “program,” below, you might think of it as a type of deeply-intentioned encouragement, if that suits you better.

In either sense — programming or encouraging yourself, we’d like to share some additional thoughts to ponder.  If you’re going in for weight loss treatment, you must also identify what it is that you and/or your hypnotist think of as a healthy approach toward this goal. Here are just four example approaches (and there are likely many more that should be considered):

1. Are you going to attempt to program yourself to simply eat *less* (but sticking to your same diet)? While there are merits to calorie restriction regimens in general, we dislike this approach for most people. After all, a SAD diet is fairly devoid of nutrients to begin with. Why lower your nutrient intake by eating less? A better approach would be to try improving your diet first. Since you’re here at Pure Jeevan reading this and plan to pursue this avenue, consider talking with your hypnotherapist about the goal of incorporating more healthy, organic, raw foods into your daily life. If you’re not following a healthy diet at the moment, you may be surprised at how few calories fresh raw vegetables have. So, simply eating less may not be the best answer to reducing your caloric intake! Raw allows decreased caloric intake and increased nutritional intake.

2. Are you going to attempt to program yourself to eat largely the same diet, but cut out junky indulgences (cakes, ice creams, etc.)? This one is better but, again, we suggest an additional goal of adding in healthy raw foods as well. For most people who are considering hypnosis for dietary reasons, the goal is weight loss. Odds are, most people in need of moderate to extreme weight loss have dietary issues beyond the standard indulgences. So, again, be sure to look at improving your basic diet as well.

3. Are you going to attempt to program yourself to change your overall diet to something healthier and then stick to that regimen? Aha, now you’re onto something. Perhaps read through the thousands of raw food articles on this web site and set a goal of attaining and sustaining at least a moderate- to high-raw dietary lifestyle! At a minimum, also try limiting (to the full extent you’re able) your intake of meats, dairy, sugar, wheat, processed and other notoriously bad-for-you foods. For most people, that will make a world of difference. If you can completely eliminate those things, so much the better!

4. Are you going to attempt to program yourself to exercise more? Here at Pure Jeevan, we advocate a holistic approach toward optimal health. For each domain we discuss here (mind, body, spirit, emotion), we feel it’s important to truly identify the most rewarding path for each individual. On the physical health side, exercise is a wonderful part of a holistic approach to health. So, yes, do try to exercise more. But, if that’s your main approach toward weight loss, realize that you’ll achieve your goal much faster and more healthfully if you’re powering your body with the right fuel. So, again, discuss ways of reminding yourself to incorporate more healthy, raw, organic fruits and vegetables!

One of the concerns we have after the (admittedly limited) experience we’ve had with this method of weight loss is that, in the case discussed above, the patient wound up taking health advice from a hypnotist. This makes us a little nervous.  In the case discussed, the hypnotist not only facilitated the traditional “programming” aspects of her treatment, but he also had his own ideas of what constituted a healthy diet;  he recommended various foods, snacks, supplements, etc. While certainly well-intentioned (and likely very helpful for many people), it’s really better to identify what your ideal diet is first, in cooperation with a trusted nutritional professional, and then ask your hypnotist for assistance in tapping into your mind’s amazing power in order to adapt yourself to that better dietary lifestyle.

Bottom line: In our view, there’s nothing wrong with adding hypnotism to your toolbox of things to use in your pursuit of health. But, if you’re going to, say, attempt to stick to a certain dietary protocol, it’s probably best to ask for help in sticking to something that you’re more informed about rather than just taking a random stranger’s word for it. Oh, and by the way… What does it cost? In the case we outlined here, the rate was $80/session. Our friend’s wife committed to five sessions ($400), although the hypnotist was recommending seven for the suggestions to really take hold. When we find out how well this worked, we’ll update this post.

Up Next: Jim here… Tomorrow, I’m going to hypnotize YOU! It’ll be fun, don’t worry.

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

As a follow-up to yesterday’s McDonald’s-bashing post, I thought I’d post another perspective — namely, that not all chain smoothies are bad. I can’t claim to have tried them all, but I can report with confidence that, for raw most foodists, a trip to Jamba Juice can be awesome!

Even before becoming a raw foodie, I loved going to Jamba Juice. If you’re unfamiliar with this retail food franchise, it’s pretty much (to my knowledge) the largest chain in the “smoothie” category. I first “discovered” them during a visit to New York City back in 2006. Each day, I found myself gravitating to the delicious smoothies they offer.

And then we returned to Jamba-less Pittsbrugh, and I all but forgot about them for a few years (well, with the exception of a Jamba Juice napkin that I have pinned to my office wall as a quirky souvenir). But, fast-forward a few years, and we’re moving to Portland — and *guess* what they have?! Yep, Portland has Jamba Juice!!

Of course, my diet had changed a good bit since 2006. So, when visiting a Portland location (in the Lloyd Center mall), I wondered: Can a person be a raw foodist and still enjoy something from Jamba Juice? The answer is … YES! Here’s the trick…

Jamba Juice has a number of juicy “bases” to choose from. (By “base,” I mean the liquid that most smoothies use as a sort of foundation. As a health-conscious chain, they cater to pretty much any diet out there, offering many vegan and/or vegetarian options.) One happens to be fresh-squeezed orange juice. You can even get them to squeeze the oranges fresh for you, instead of taking juice that’s been squeezed earlier. (They have one of those neat orange juicing contraptions that accepts whole oranges and then presses them for the juice.)

So, request the fresh-squeezed orange juice as your base (I think they also actually offer carrot, but am not 100% sure on that), and then select some fruit and ice to go inside it. Voila! They do use mostly frozen fruit, but it’s not mixed with any sugar or other sweeteners like you’ll find as some large-chain places such as Orange Julius and now McDonald’s (see yesterday’s post). (I know that some raw food purists won’t touch frozen fruits, but we have no issue with that here. If ingesting some frozen fruit is your worst dietary offense, then you’re doing better than 99.999% of everyone alive at the moment!)

So, you have some frozen ingredients, and it’s probably not all going to be organic. But, it IS raw, it IS fairly inexpensive, and it IS delicious! So, give them a try sometime. (You can click here to see if there is one near you!)

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Driving to work today, we noticed that McDonald’s has launched its latest product aimed at the health-conscious demographic. In case you haven’t heard, you can now purchase fruit smoothies at Mickey D’s! Sounds like real progress, right? Well, let’s take a closer look and see if they’re really as healthy as they sound.

McDonald’s is not exactly known as a healthfood destination. After all, a typical lunch at the Golden Arches these days might well include something like an Angus Bacon & Cheese, Large Fries, and a Large Coke.  Together, that’s 1,600 calories, 64 grams of fat, and 2,400 mg of sodium, 99% of which is from highly cooked, highly processed, non-organic, factory-farmed, nutrition-barren source materials . (Add on another 75 calories and 550 more mg of sodium if you plan to go through, say, five packets of ketchup along with those fries.) (Source) And, some people eat that daily!

Clearly, the majority of “food” that fast-food restaurants market is unhealthy. (We’ve all seen “Super-Size Me,” right?) Not surprisingly, these chains eventually became embarrassed about this and, without altering any of their artery-cloggers, embarked years ago on a huge public relations campaign to reverse the negative image that had begun to take hold among the general population. It was a slow and deliberate campaign, probably dating back even further than, say, Kentucky Fried Chicken shortening its name to KFC. Whatever reason Colonel Sanders gave for it, it was quite obvious the move was intended to distance the company’s image from the negative implications of the word “fried.”

Later, we saw the introduction of more salad features at these restaurants. They never quite qualified as anything that we here at Pure Jeevan considered decent salads (e.g., they tend to use just the basics, and usually on top of practically nutritionless iceberg lettuce — and never organic). And, it should be noted, the big sleight-of-hand in that case was the introduction of rich, creamy, fat-laden, high-calorie dressings. So, consumers feel good about having “just” a salad (feeling strangely, surprisingly full afterward), yet never realizing that the salad selection was not appreciably any more healthy than whatever they used to order from the same chain restaurant.  Often, the salad is worse! This phenomenon remains true to this day, of course, and is especially troublesome at some of the more upscale sit-down places (think Applebee’s, Chili’s, TGIF’s, etc.) where the nutrition data on the salads is nothing short of eye-popping (and, to be truthful, belt-popping).

The word “smoothie” has long been associated with the health movement — Wikipedia has a fairly decent, brief, background on the word —  as a healthy alternative to the much more popular milkshake. But, a smoothie is different, right? It’s not about the sugar and the dairy, right? A smoothie is a celebration of the wonderful blended treats that can be whipped up out of nothing more than what nature has provided (well, assuming that nature has provided you with a decent blender). With that in mind, let’s take a look at what’s in a McSmoothie!

Hmm, there are two varieties on the market: Strawberry Banana and Wild Berry. Let’s look at the Strawberry Banana one. Referencing Micky D’s handy-dandy nutritional chart, we see that the ingredients are “Strawberry Banana Fruit Blend, Low Fat Yogurt, Ice.”  Well, wow! That’s not exactly vegan, but it doesn’t sound overly awful!  … oh, wait a minute … It looks like you have to read a little further because the “Strawberry Fruit Blend” and the “Low Fat Yogurt” have ingredients of their own. So, let’s see, the entire ingredients of my smoothie are:

Strawberry Banana Fruit Blend (strawberry puree, banana puree, water, sugar, concentrated apple juice, contains less than 1% of the following: cellulose powder, natural (botanical source) and artificial flavors, xanthan gum, citric acid, colored with fruit and vegetable juice, pectin, ascorbic acid), Low Fat Yogurt (Cultured Grade A reduced fat milk, sugar, whey protein concentrate, fructose, corn starch, kosher gelatin), Ice.

Isn’t it ironic, and quite sad, how smoothies have come full-circle now? With this Mc-version, it looks like they’re officially back into the mainstream consciousness, and containing all of the things (namely sugar, dairy, artificial flavors and, come on … gelatin?!) that they seemed to have been designed to avoid so many years ago. Add to that the fact that both the Strawberry Banana and Wild Berry both feature many of the most pesticide-laden fruits currently produced. And if no one cares about that, fewer may care about the bovine growth hormones likely present in that factory-farmed milk (which is not disclosed on the page). At this rate, smoothie drinkers may as well order up the milkshake, which is likely what they truly want in the first place!

We’re afraid that a battle has been lost here. The health-conscious no longer have claim to the term “smoothie.” It’s been co-opted by the corporate world once and for all. And you know what?  Let them have the term. We here at Pure Jeevan are calling for a new term. We don’t yet know what it is, but it has to be something different, something perhaps less catchy and something that won’t be appropriated by The Man after it catches on. Any ideas??? Let us know yours!

Up Next: Not ALL chain-smoothies are awful. Jim reports on staying raw vegan at a huge chain!

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Here’s an older post, from August 2008, about modifying one’s diet to experiment with attaining even greater health.  I know the before/after pics, alone, are inspirational enough to live a raw vegan lifestyle!

*blows kisses to everyone*

========================

One of our readers, Julie, asked me to update her on what kind of diet I’m doing and why I’m doing it. The last time I publicly made changes with my diet, I received many similar questions. So, I figured maybe it would be a good idea to respond to her question here on the blog for anyone else wondering the same thing.

I did explain, in a long post, about experimenting with my diet being important to me. If you didn’t read that entry, it will answer a lot of your questions. For many of you, I think I know what you are thinking: “Wendi was pretty much morbidly obese, her health was horrible, but she’s now healthy. Why would she change anything with her diet when she has already found what works?”

Well, it’s true. I am extremely healthy compared to how I was before I started consuming raw foods. Here are some pictures to show the changes, to motivate some of you currently struggling with eating more raw foods…

After only 10 months raw!

After one year raw!

I believe a raw food diet has allowed my body to heal itself of so many ailments—more than I probably ever even knew I had.  I went on the raw food diet as an experiment, to see if it would really work. Well, as I found out (and I’m sure it’s evident to you, too), it works! I’m healthier than I think I ever was, even when I was at a healthy weight when I was younger.

So, the question you have comes up again, right? “Why make any changes if you’ve recovered your health?” The main reason is because I know I don’t feel as good as I could feel. I don’t feel 100% well (even though I feel 1000 times better than I ever did before). I am still not overflowing with energy, my skin isn’t as clear as it could be if I was fully well, my weight is still a bit too much for my height and bone structure (but, trust me when I say if I never go down another pound I am completely happy with my weight!), my menstrual cycles are still not 100% regular (I still spot between cycles), I occasionally still experience some problems with my heart, and my bloodwork still shows that I’m a bit low in iron, B12, and definitely deficient in Vitamin D.

Could I live happily for the rest of my life with just those small issues? Sure! I still feel so much more alive, healthy, vibrant, and filled with even more love than I ever did in the past. However, why not see if I can obtain an even higher level of health? I’d love to clear up all of the small issues I mentioned above, and feel even more alive and healthy! If I didn’t have any of those issues, would I still experiment with my diet? Maybe, but it would be for a different reason.

Currently, my goal for my body is to be as healthy as I can be so that I can live a long, energetic life and experience as much as I possibly can before my time is done here. If my body was 100% healthy, I might experiment with the different versions of the raw food diet, just for some variety. Currently, however, I am experimenting to see if I can get to an even greater level of health. Imagine if I can eliminate all of those small issues that remain—having more energy to do even more fun things with my life will be worth the current experimentation with my raw diet, don’t you think?

Don’t be shy to speak up. If you think it’s wrong that I’m experimenting with my diet, if you are concerned for my health in any way, let me know. I appreciate the love and concern that has been shown to me. I respect your opinions, and I am open to hearing your concerns. I don’t claim to know everything—I am here learning as much about myself as you are about your own self. Life is fascinating—so much to learn and do and enjoy!

I’d like to end my response with a little more about my health and why you shouldn’t be too concerned about my experimentations with my diet. I never experiment with my health without consulting a doctor. I am seeing a fantastic holistic doctor who fully encourages me to follow my instincts on what I feel is good for my body. She monitors my health through blood tests, physical exams, and thorough holistic exams (taking into account all aspects of what makes up who I am—body, mind, spirit, emotions). I figure if I’m experimenting, I may as well document my journey in case I stumble across something that may be helpful for others to know. It’s always good to have some hard scientific facts/results to back up my story.

Thanks for all the emails and comments I receive from all of you. It means a lot to me that you take the time to read my blog and reach out to me.

I love all of you very much!

Wendi
XOXOXO

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Well, it’s probably obvious that we haven’t been able to update the blog recently. Rather than make promises to do so, we’ll simply say that we’ll be away for a few months. If there’s an opportunity, we’ll pop online and post something inspirational for all of you, but for now we have to admit that there are other things that are a priority for us right now (not that you’re not important to us, because you are–we LOVE all of you!).

Sorry about that…I know many of you rely on our daily updates for inspiration. Please know that when we return it will be worth the wait! We’ll make up for the lost time, I promise!

We’ll be missing all of you and we look forward to reconnecting and catching up on what’s going on with you when we return. Of course, if there’s something going on that you feel you really need to talk with us about, just send an email to me. I might not be able to immediately respond, but you’ll definitely hear back from me.

Lots of love to all of you,

Wendi
XOXOXO

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Click on Photo

In this older post, I talk a bit about intuitive eating and share an example of how it feels if we are unable to intuitively eat. Click on the photo, above, to visit that post.

=============

We’ll be highlighting older posts for the next few weeks here on Pure Jeevan, as we continue with preparations for our final move to Portland, Oregon.

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Hi there, lovely Pure Jeevan family members!

It’s so sweet that many of you are concerned about us, wondering where we are and what we are doing since the blog has been quiet for quite some time. We feel very loved! *blows kisses to everyone*

Well, our trip to Portland, Oregon, went well. We bought the fixer-upper home that will eventually house Pure Jeevan, and did some preliminary work on it (it’s a *true* fixer-upper and is going to require *a lot* of work and investment). A few times during our stay in the new home, Jim and I both looked at each other, wild-eyed, wondering what we had done. Following one’s intuition can be a bit scary at times, but we’ve learned over the years that things always work out for the best and that these sometimes scary, unknown times are what help us grow and learn in ways we had never imagined.

KDcat, who has decided to shorten her name even more (now it’s just “Cat”), brought a friend along for the Portland visit. Cat rolled her eyes at the house (well, mostly at my tears about the house, when one day I stood teary-eyed about the enormous project we had just taken on), and went out and about exploring the beautiful city. She had a great time and we could easily see that this is going to be a great city for her as she matures more into adulthood. Everything is within walking distance, which gives her a lot more freedom. Cat will be taking all kinds of art and music lessons, and has hopes of beginning a part time job somewhere (she has her eyes set on the Flying Cat Coffee cafe that she and her friend frequented during our stay. So, if you know the owners, put in a good word for her!).

It was fun seeing Cat and her friend enjoying themselves. Jim and I, aside from the shock of what we had just done in buying a second home that requires an immense amount of work and money, had a great time also. The backyard of the house is quite big for being in the city, and guess what?! There are already established fruit trees there!! We have figs, cherries, pears (we think they’re pears, anyway), and grapes! In addition to those things, Cat found ASPARAGUS growing against the back fence! ASPARAGUS!!! I ate some right away, as it’s my favorite vegetable, and WOW! So tender and delicious!! The front yard is small, but what a treat to see all of the lemon balm, lavender, sage, rosemary, and some flowering plants I’m not familiar with. It was as though nature was soothing and calming us, letting us know we can be at peace while taking on this enormous fixer-upper challenge. We feel confident that the yard will eventually supply most of our dietary needs once we’re settled into the place.

When we returned home (Jim and I exhausted from all the house work we were doing, Cat and her friend exhausted from staying up late every night) we slept a lot and tried to get back to the eastern time change (it’s three hours difference). Then we began some more purging of items here in our Pittsburgh home. Our attic/family room is almost completely empty, now, and we hope that others will now be able to see the space as a bonus room that they can do next to anything with! If you know anyone looking for an awesome home at an amazing price, send them to the Luck House: http://www.charming4bedroom.com and let them know the price has been reduced by $30,000 for a fast sale!

At this time, our focus is mostly on the home in Pittsburgh, eliminating more items that won’t be going with us to Portland. So, for some time you’ll be hearing a bit less from us. We’re not gone for good, just getting some necessary things done. Coming up, to keep you inspired and to save us some time, we’ll be highlighting some older raw food blog posts. For those of you who have been with us from the start of the blog, we hope it will reinspire you. For those who are new to the blog, you’re in for a real treat! We have years of information here on the site and it will be fun highlighting some of it for all of you!

How have all of you been? I miss not being able to connect with all of you as much as I used to do. The Disqus comment system is still not functioning correctly on the blog, but the programmers say they are continuing to work on it. We hope to one day have all of the older comments visible, the comment numbers showing, and newer comments easily showing up and able to be responded to with email notifications. Until then, I hope you’ll take a second just to check in and let us know how all of you are doing!

Lots and lots of love to all of you!

Wendi
XOXOXO

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Hey, where the heck is Pure Jeevan this week???? Sorry for the silence on our end; we’re actually in Portland, Oregon, closing on our new digs — the new HOME of Pure Jeevan!!! Exciting stuff, but we’re SO busy that we may not be able to blog again until the week of June 7. But, we’ll definitely return by then, and maybe even post a thing or two from here. It all depends on our internet situation. In any case, it’s SO wonderful to be taking direct action on the future on Pure Jeevan. It’s a huge leap of faith on our part, but it seems right by all accounts. So, see you soon when we return! -Jim & Wendi

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Here it is: Putting it all together. Here you’ll see what we use for our taco shells and how we build up our taco. Quite often, we also make a raw sour creme using cashew nuts and lemon juice. But, for these tacos, it’ll just be meat, salsa, and guac. Enjoy!

Taco Assembly

Use Romaine leaves for your taco shells or, as Wendi says, do a search for making other kinds of taco shells. (A good place to search out raw recipes is the All Raw Directory.) Top with:

• Shredded lettuce
• Taco meat (see previous recipe)
• Guacamole (see previous recipe)
• Salsa (see previous recipe)
• Optional: Raw Vegan Sour Cream (search our blog or the All Raw Directory)

There you go: Celebrate TACO WEEK by making your own tacos!

(And, by the way, we’re celebrating something special today, too:  KDcat turns 15 today!!! )

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments

Here’s the next component in our raw taco recipe — the guacamole. This is Wendi’s favorite component! Enjoy!!!

Raw Guacamole Recipe

• 3 avocados
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
• 3/4 tsp salt
• optional: 1 med. tomato, scallion

Pulse in food processor until “meaty” consistency is obtained. Set aside in a serving bowl for the taco dinner!

Please Post on Facebook!	Please Tweet This on Twitter!
Visit:	View Comments