Guest guest Posted June 12, 2004 Report Share Posted June 12, 2004 Blessings family, I am fowarding this article by Nomi Shannon for the benefit of those of us commencing on the live food path. I hope its useful. Love and Light Pam May 18 Newsletter Article: Raw Food on a Budget and Event Reminder (To please go to bottom and click or cut and paste. To go to www.rawgourmet.com and sign up for the FREE email raw food course called The Raw Truth) No part of this newsletter can be copied or transmitted electronically without permission of the author Upcoming Raw Food Events: June 6 Nomi teaches 1/2 day class in New York City Call 212-777-6645 or 888-554-6645, High Vibe Health and Healing to reserve. If you want to attend this class, please call NOW. June 13-19 Week long raw food workshop in Sedona. Email or call Nomi for details, we have room for 2 or 3 more people. 888-316-4611 or email nomi June 24-27 The Best Event of the Year. Modern Manna Expo in Lodi, Ca. This is a free event, this years speakers include: Dr. Alan Goldhamer, Dr. Lorraine Day, Dr. T. Colin Powell, Dr. Doug MacDougall, Dr. Robert Cohen, Charlotte Gerson, Danny and Cherise Vierra-and more! I will be there, as well as Lynda Carter. While this event isn't all-raw there is enough to satisfy as well as having the opportunity to hear world class speakers, and visit high quality booths. For complete details go to www.modernmanna.org. This is a beautifully organized event with a strong religious overtone. If you attend only one event all year, this is by far the one I recommend. Hoping to see you there. July 29th thru August 1st 2004 in Western New York The Living Now Festival will be held at the Great Blue Heron festival grounds, a beautiful 300 acre natural area and campground in the Enchanted Mountain region of western NY. Visit their web site http://www.greensunhealing.com for complete details on activities, presenters, pictures, registration and all other information. August 20- 22-Raw Food Festival in Portland Oregon. Stay tuned for more details. Check www.living-foods.com for raw festival event details, coming soon. Healthy Food on a Budget By Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet When hard times are upon us, either globally or personally, it is more important than ever to eat well. By keeping in top form physically, mentally and spiritually you are better able to do your best; whether that means dealing with basic survival for yourself and those close to you, or whether it means reaching out to those in need and contributing to make your country and the world a better place to be. Below are some strategies on how to keep healthy food in your pantry. The truth is, whether your food budget is large or small, you can eat poorly or you can eat well. Many of us have experienced drastic income reductions, so here are some simple guidelines to reinforce your healthy high raw or all raw diet on a reduced budget. As we live in different parts of the world, some of the information contained here will apply more to some areas than others. The bottom line is it is important that you know the best places to obtain ingredients in your area. Always check out the seasonal produce and sales in your area. Take advantage of them. Usually, apples, oranges, bananas, carrots and cabbage are affordable and available year round. Carefully look over the reduced price produce-it is often still good; just not pretty and usually very ripe and ready to eat on the same day as purchase. Recently I purchased a good sized bag of various apples, all in quite good shape, perhaps a bruise or two, for just over a dollar. I will use them for applesauce. I also found several bags of very ripe organic bananas. Grocery stores all but throw away what they consider to be over-ripe bananas. While I would not peel and eat them, very ripe bananas are perfect for peeling and freezing to use in desserts so this was a real find. I bought about 10 pounds for only a few dollars. Right now in my part of the world white nectarines are plentiful and reasonably priced as are wonderful blueberries. Today I found 314-gram containers of blueberries on special for one dollar each. I purchased 4. I will eat two and freeze two, or maybe I will eat all four of them. No fancy recipe I just will eat an entire container for breakfast. Because of the large amount of fresh fruit and vegetables I eat, if I am driving by a market anyway I might run in just to see what is on sale that day. Perhaps another market nearby will have a special on tomatoes. I found lovely vine ripened tomatoes at two for the price of one at another market. Grocery stores call these specials " loss leaders " meaning the special low price will bring you into the store, then they assume you will do the rest of your shopping there or buy other items that will be profitable for them. Maybe the area you live in isn't so competitive, or maybe you don't have the opportunity to get to several markets within a few days time. Nonetheless you will be able to come up with strategies that suit you and the area in which you live. Get together with a group to purchase the more exotic or expensive items like tropical fruits and some nuts wholesale. Or, consider simplifying even more and eliminate the more exotic and expensive items. However, food co-ops really do save money on bulk buying and this is an idea well worth looking into. If there are no food cooperatives in your area perhaps you could start one. Young coconuts (often called Thai coconuts) can be purchased at Asian markets in many cities for sixty to seventy cents each, and comprise a meal by themselves. Most large cities have Asian markets. Besides coconuts, they often have many exotic greens and items such as fresh pea shoots for a very low price. Don't waste anything. If there is one inch of red pepper left, save it for soup or salad. Root vegetables are inexpensive, last quite awhile in the refrigerator and are full of nutrients, minerals and fiber. If you eat cooked food, they are an excellent choice steamed or baked. Served raw either grated or turned into pasta with a saladacco ( spiral slicer) they become a gourmet item. Look for parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, parsley root, and celery root and don't forget beets and carrots. Eat monomeals four or five times a week; for example, just melon or just apples or just sweet corn or just greens at one meal. Not only can you take advantage of local produce and sales prices this way, but you also save time in food prep and lots of digestive energy! Most Americans eat too much. According to a study in the August 1996 issue of Scientific American, we spend $33 billion annually on weight-loss products and schemes. Cut back on your quantities. (This advice does not apply to children, they need calories, fat and protein for proper growth and development.) Don't be put off by the high per pound price of mixed greens (called mesclun in some areas). Even at $6.99 a pound, a good-sized bag will cost less than 1/2 of that. Greens are light. Be sure they are dry when purchased, they will weigh less and keep longer. Another helpful hint, if the store you are in has a salad bar check out the price per pound charge, sometimes it is more economical to buy your greens at the salad bar. (Example if your salad bar is charging 2.99 per pound and the greens on the other side of the store are 7.99 a pound, get your 1/2 pound of greens at the salad bar.) If you juice regularly, feed some of the pulp to your pets mixed in with their other food, it adds a lot of bulk/fiber to their diet, helps them to feel full but doesn't stuff them with calories and fat. You can also put some of your pulp into salad, carrot pulp is especially good for this. Pulp is also a great addition to dehydrated crackers. Take the time now to learn as much as you can about local foraging. Unless you live in the high desert, there is almost always edible food in the woods and fields around you, probably even in your yard. A good illustrated book is helpful, I like Edible Wild Plants, by Thomas Elias and Peter Dykeman, and there are many others. It would be best to find a book that specializes in your area. Another excellent thing to do is locate a master herbalist in your area that specializes in wild edible foods. Get a group of friends together and learn how to forage. This is great fun for the whole family, can supplement your purchased food, and even save your life in times of crisis. From November to May I foraged wild mustard greens almost daily. At least half of my greens for 6 months were not only free, but delicious and I really noticed a higher energy level from eating them than from store bought greens. Once the summer began, I put some of the yellow mustard flowers in my salads and could still occasionally find mustard greens in shady areas and along stream banks. It is very economical to grow your own sprouts, not just the jar-grown variety but the type grown in soil in nursery flats or cafeteria trays. The most highly nutritious sprouts are sunflower and buckwheat. If you decide to sprout at home, consider also growing baby lettuce greens at the same time. Other delicious sprouting seeds include: broccoli, peas, radish, mustard, and clover. My book, The Raw Gourmet has general instructions and growing charts. I recommend The Sprout Garden by Mark Braunstein for more in- depth sprouting information. Quite possibly by growing sunflower, buckwheat, pea and other sprouts at home, you are getting the very best food known to man in the least expensive way possible. It will cost you only pennies for a pound of high protein, high chlorophyll, high vitamin, mineral and enzyme food. If, because of your work schedule or lack of space you just can not grow your own sprouts perhaps you could team up with a friend who does have the space and time and split the cost with them, and take over for them if they have to go out of town. Growing soil grown sprouts can also be a good part time business, it is not difficult to learn, nor is it difficult to do. More and more grocery stores and restaurants want them as well as raw fooders. If you own a dehydrator (if you don't perhaps now is a good time to buy one) make up simple flaxseed crackers in quantity and replenish when the stock gets low. These are great as a crunchy snack, good travel food, useful in place of bread, broken up as croutons-and are very economical. I notice four ounce bags of flax seed crackers for sale at health food stores for almost $5.00 each, one batch of home made crackers is probably at least 10 times as much quantity and costs far less than the four ounces of store bought crackers. Stock up one time on pantry essentials, then replenish as needed. Buying in bulk saves money if you buy wisely-purchase only food that you know that you will use. If you live far from a reasonable source for these items, remember too that the more you order at one time from a mail order company the less per pound the shipping will cost. some basic pantry essentials are: raw tahini raw nut butters sunflower seeds (hulled) nuts such as walnut or almond, shelled or in-shell flax seeds olive oil nama shoyu or sea salt olives Seaweeds: dulse, kelp sprouting items Always try to do the highest and the best thing for yourself in each circumstance. For example eating a piece of fruit would be a better thing to do than eating a candy bar. Likewise, if you are on a tight budget and can not afford high priced items such as almond butter or organic produce, rather than reverting back to hamburgers and hot dogs-consider buying a high quality peanut butter-yes peanut butter is not raw, yes almond butter is superior, but peanut butter is a higher and better choice than beef or lamb. Likewise your produce, it is far better to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables even if they are not organic, then to eat lots of processed foods. Wash all your produce well. Perhaps macadamia nuts, pine nuts etc. are not in your budget, but the truth is sunflower seeds are very affordable, are high protein and contain essential fatty acids. They are also delicious. The perception that being on a raw food diet is expensive is just that, a perception. The reality is you have many choices, and if you keep your eyes out for a good buy you will have even more. Here are some hearty but easy on the budget recipes. Don't forget soups, they are a great way to put lots of variety into your diet, and use up the odd bits. One soup meal per day either for breakfast or lunch will be healthy for both your body and your wallet. Carrot Sunny Roll-ups 2 Cups hulled sunflower seeds soaked overnight, sprouted 3-4 hours. 2 Cups Carrot pulp (from making carrot juice) 2-4 Tablespoons cut-up onion 1/2 clove garlic, chopped (or to taste) 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon Cumin nama shoyu or sea salt and lemon to taste Olives, sliced red pepper sprouts nori sheets Put Sunflower seeds and Carrot pulp through a heavy-duty juicer with the blank screen or use a food processor, add the chopped onion and garlic. Mix in remaining ingredients. Place on nori sheet. Add olives, Red Peppers, several handfuls of sprouts and roll up. Yield 5-6 cups. Flower Medley Pate This dish looks beautiful covered with colorful edible flowers. Try nasturtiums and violets with a border of violet leaves and sprouts. 8 carrots 4 Cups cut-up spinach 1 beet, cut up 1 shallot, chopped 1/2 red onion, cut up 8 mushrooms, cut up 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (1/2 teaspoon dried) 2 Tablespoons chopped Parsley 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1-2 medium garlic cloves, cut-up 1 and 1/2” of ginger, finely chopped 3/4 Cup almonds, soaked overnight 1/4 Cup vegetable Juice (from above) 2 Tablespoons flax seed oil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt dash Cayenne Put first 12 ingredients through juicer with juice filter in it. Place mixture in bowl. Add remaining 4 ingredients. Mix well. Mold to desired shape and place on platter. Serve with edible flowers all over it. If edible flowers are not available, decorate with parsley sprigs. Serves 4-6. Sprouted Rye Chili I am not much of a grain eater, but some people seem to thrive on them. Sprouted rye berries also taste great with caraway seeds. I made the sprouted beans optional as grain and bean is not a good combination. I do not eat sprouted beans, but again many people seem to enjoy them. When you create recipes, as I do, you try to come up with things that appeal to everyone. 3 Cups sprouted rye berries 2 Tablespoons Olive oil 1 cup cut up Red Pepper 1/4-1/2 Cup sauerkraut (or thinly sliced cabbage) 1 small garlic clove, cut up Juice from 1/2 lemon optional: 6-10 cut up green olives optional: 1 1/2 cups of one of the following: sprouted adzuki, northern white beans or pinto beans. (any sprouted bean or legume will do) 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or more to taste) 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper Dried red chili pepper to taste Minced Jalapeno pepper to taste Place first 7 ingredients in food processor. Pulse chop until red pepper is chopped in fine. Stir down sides a few times. Then stir in the 1 1/2 cups of beans. Add cilantro, cayenne, dried red chili pepper, and Jalapenos to taste. If necessary moisten with a bit of nama shoyu or water. You can obtain the following products from The Raw Gourmet: The Raw Gourmet book and videos, Modern Manna Video featuring Nomi Shannon, the saladacco spiral slicer, the mandoline plus, Joyce Chen all-purpose knife, Toss n chop, juicers, blenders, dehydrators. Fresh Produce Guide, The complete Book of Raw Food. And more, if you need it to make raw food, then we carry it! The Raw Gourmet-for all your raw food kitchen needs. www.rawgourmet.com nomi 888-316-4611 928-284-3201 Thank you, hope to see you at some of the upcoming events. To or change r options visit: <A HREF= " http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?jBzMzLTMrExsnMwcHA== " >http://www.aweber.com/z/r\ /?jBzMzLTMrExsnMwcHA==</A> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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