Raw and Vegan

There are a plethora of raw and vegan friendly restaurants out there and I have been on a mission to discover them all. In Clearwater, Fl, there is a wonderful place called Green Organix. The food is outstanding and super fresh and healthy. Just a few steps from the beach, you can dine al fresco on delicious gourmet vegetarian and vegan food.

 

I ordered this unique organic salad made with sunflower seed tuna! The dressing was a lemon tahini and so so good.

The vegetables are extra fresh and I suspect it's because right next door you find the Bob and Daughter Market selling farm fresh produce.

The Oceanview community of the Tidewater area is home to the excellent Quenna's Raw and Vegan Cafe. The food here is like none other you've tasted. The chef Quenna hails from Kenya and infuses her raw cuisine with distinctly African flavors.

My favorite is her avocado supreme with sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, peppers and a spicy red chili sauce.

At home, I get inspired to create special dishes based on my raw and vegan restaurant experiences. Here is one with heirloom tomatoes, radishes and other goodies!

I mixed it up with some avocado and an olive oil, lime dressing.

Or this raw zucchini pad thai based on the one I like to order from Cafe 118. The peanut dressing is incredible and eating this dish is such a treat.

For dessert, I made a spirulina smoothie with grapes, bananas and pears.

The recipe for this smoothie is based on my most favorite bottled drink, Odwalla Superfood.

Speaking of drinks, I visited Homegrown Co-op in Orlando where you can get all manner of dried herbs and spices. I left with a bunch of herbs to make my own iced tea at home. Peppermint, Dandelion Leaf, White Willow Bark and Comfrey Root all went into my brew. This is a very good combination to cleanse the blood and soothe the digestive system. It is also delicious!

So refreshing and medicinal, too!

 

Several cups a day is a balm to my body and soul.

For an evening snack, I looovve this Raw One Grawnola. It's not cooked and all the nuts and grains are sprouted.

Two Moms in the Raw make an equally outstanding raw granola. Try this with raw almond milk and you will never eat cooked gluten cereal and cow's milk again!

Moving forward in the raw and vegan dessert category, I love to use the Glaser Farms Almond Butter to make milk shakes. Just add water, agave, vanilla and a few teaspoons of this butter and voila!

I must confess that I did not make this amazing chocolate cake and chocolate sauce, myself. I bought it from Cafe 118 in Winter Park, Fl. Yes, it is as tasty as it looks and once again, all raw and vegan!

Oh and here is the raw vanilla ice cream that came with it. Made from cashews, coconuts and other raw goodies.

Gaia Healing

                                                             artist Josephine Wall

Herbal remedies are age old and our ancestors thrived on them. For many ailments, we can return to these natural healers from mother Earth- experiencing a healing force subtle and harmonious, yet powerful and real. Gaia Herbs are a very potent line of medicinal elixirs which I have found to surpass the efficacy of many other brands. Inside each capsule, there is a liquid herbal solution. Unlike dried pills, the liquid is easily absorbed by our system and the medicinal properties made readily available within our body. The effect of Stress Response is palpable. I take it when I am driving a lot, because this activity tends to overwhelm me.

The Thyroid support is excellent for balancing the thyroid gland naturally whether it is over or under active.

And the Vision Formula is a great way to strengthen the eyes when you are embarking on a natural vision improvement path. The Bates method of improving one's vison, uses eye exercises and gradually reduced lense prescriptions to bring out the inherent visual strength of the eye and the brain.

I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting The Florida School of Holistic Living

And meeting with a master herbalist there. She was outstanding and introduced me further to the healing properties of medicinal herbs and of flower essences. Rescue Remedy is the most popular of the flower essences developed by Dr. Edward Bach, but there are many more of these amazing remedies. They are are a synergistic blend of the ethereal imprint that flowers make on the water solution in which they are immersed. When we take in these essences, we also take in the positive qualities of the flowers themselves! What a wonderful way to heal. Flowers are so magical and beautiful and the idea of sharing in their essential nature is profound. Look into your emotional, physical and spiritual challenges and then find a flower essence to support your healing in these areas. Here is a wonderful resource- http://fesflowers.com/pdf/Choosing_Flower_Essences.pdf

I was given this special blend of Star of Bethlehelm, mixed on the premises and so far the results have been astounding. I feel the lightness, freedom, joy and beauty of the myriad flowers, right here in my very own being.

After my sublime visit with the Florida School of Holistic Living, I decide to explore other eco businesses in this lovely Orlando community. Around the corner is the Shine On Yoga studio with all manner of classes.

And across the street, after an invigorating Yoga session, you can sample herbal teas blends of every sort from Dandelion Communitea Cafe.

 I love the beautiful door that leads you into this welcoming space full of vegan goodies and spectacular tea.

There are many bulk teas inside, as well, and you can take some home and make up your own blends. I bought this ceramic mortar and pestle from a korean market nearby, for this very purpose.

I love that there is a tiny little used bicycle shop in the back, where you can find good deals on refurbished bikes.

I found an excellent bicycle for my daughter, which we embellished with silver duct tape. My goal is to live a bike-mostly life, devoid of daily car trips.

And to the right of the bike shop there is an acupuncture practice. How perfect is that! Everything one needs for healthy living in one awesome community.

To top of a wonderful day, I was the witness of this exquisite rainbow on the way home.

Ethiopian Food

Ethiopian food is some of the best food on the planet. It is so rich in flavor and texture, as well as visual appeal. I love the Injera bread made with gluten-free teff flour, with it's slight tartness and spongy feel. I tried out two Ethiopian restaurants recently and was dazzled by the delicious food and lovely decor. My first stop was Queen of Sheba Restaurant in Tampa.

Here they have a lunch buffet with all manner of delicacies and I made my own plate of vegetarian choices.

What I love about Ethiopian food is not only is sooo delicious, but its vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are abundant and extremely satisfying. The vegetarian combo usually consists of yellow split peas with turmeric (Shiro Alitcha), spiced collard greens (Gomen), stewed cabbage (Atkilt Wot), spicy red lentils (Misir Wot), mushrooms sauteed with onions (Ingunday Tibs), a green salad (Salata), a lemony chickpea blend (Buticha) and a potato/carrrot/green bean mixture (Fasolia). I ordered a bit of red pepper sauce (Berbere) on the side, because I like it extra spicy!

The beauty of this restaurant is exquisite. All the art work and tapestry wrapped itself around me as I dined.

 

Back in Orlando, the food is even better at the Nile Ethiopian Restaurant. The chef obviously cooks for an Ethiopian palate and the food is very spicy!

I had the vegetarian combination as usual and the flavor of each dish was distinct and outstanding.

Many Ethiopian restaurants make their injera using a mixture of teff and wheat flour. I always request the 100% teff grain injera as it's gluten-free. While enjoying my food, I was cocooned in a traditional style Ethiopian eating area, surrounded by a grass reed enclosure...

 ...and wonderful artwork.

I may try my hand at preparing Ethiopian food at home. I found some great tips at healthygreenkitchen.com and the lovely cover photo as well!

Acupuncture

Yesterday, I experienced an exceptional Acupuncture treatment with Dr. Shin-Yang Chen in Melbourne Beach, Fl. 

I have had acupuncture before, but never like this. His healing energy was palpable the moment I met him and things just got better and better. The key to acupuncture is that there are points along our body meridians that, when stimulated, balance the flow of energy or chi within us. This balance is equal to optimal health. When we don't have it, our chi is stuck and our blood stagnant, hence we experience disease and ill health. 

Dr Chen took the traditional practice a step further by incorporating Electro Acupuncture where each needle, after being inserted into the appropriate points, is attached to an electrode. A subtle current is turned on and runs through the energy points, further stimulating proper chi flow and balance. It is not painful, though you do feel a pulsing sensation.

As I lay there with those currents pulsating through my body meridians, I truly felt like I was floating off the table. Then, when I thought I could not reach a peace greater, Dr. Chen removed the needles and began a massage of my neck, temples and shoulder blades with deep penetrating strokes and Chinese herbal oils. I can only say that you must, when in town, go and see him. It was profound.

Later, I was given a cupping treatment that just put the icing on the cake of the whole experience. This is a suction method where cups are placed on your back and then, through heat or manually, a vacuum is created with your skin that draws out impurities by increasing blood flow. 

According to www.cuppingtherapy.info, "Cupping therapy or Hijama has been utilized for centuries to cure illnesses. Hijama was used for thousands of years by Pharaohs and ancient Egyptians. It was also used by ancient Chinese, Greek and all old civilizations. The oldest recorded medical textbook, Ebers Papyrus, written in approximately 1550 BCE in Egypt mentions cupping." 

Our ancestors knew so much intuitively and spiritually that today's scientific research cannot even begin to understand and decode. The way I felt when I got up from my full treatment, is indescribable. The wisdom of the ages had granted me a healing opportunity of a lifetime. I am still glowing and charged and filled with joy from the lightness my body achieved, due to these detoxifying and balancing procedures. I left with an herbal medicine made for me on the premises by Dr. Chen's wife and an appointment to return next week, not to mention the most exuberant, lithe, happy and peaceful body, mind and spirit. Here I am at the ocean after my treatment.

And here is my delicious dinner.

And the best milk imaginable, non-dairy and organic Brazil Nut Milk!