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The Durian Conversation

 

                                                                                                                 Red Durians

 

Durian is the most talked about fruit in the raw food world. It is like the celebrity of raw foods, or the purple cow that is so different that it garners all of the attention. Either people are repulsed by it or are true addicts of this fruit theirs no in between.

 

From the outside Durian looks like it could be used as an effective weapon in battle. It is spiked all over; you really have to be careful about how you open them. Luckily God made them with a crease so you can pry them open with a little effort. Now the excitement begins, as you open the durian you are confronted with an interesting smell to say the least.

 

To be quite honest I think that God really pulled an Aprils fools joke on us when he created Durians because the smell takes some real getting use to; truly the smell is like a dozen rotten eggs. However theirs more, the inside is filled with custard like pillows that are soft and do indeed taste like custard; Custard and onions that is.

 

Also when you eat the custard flesh off you are confronted with seeds that look like hot dog links. Be brave and don’t let this discourage you because many love this fruit and some do appreciate the smell. I have interviewed a top raw food leader by the name of Paul Nison and he said that Durian helps him to stay raw because it gave him the same feeling of fullness as a cooked food meal, now that’s not a bad deal.

 

Durian can be eaten alone or made into ice cream or dried and dipped into raw chocolate. High in C E and B vitamins Durian is a great nutritional choice, however be careful not to eat to much at one sitting because that can have some ill effects.

 

You can find durian in most Asian markets and in China Town if you live in NYC. With all this information you can make the choice weather Durian is right for you or not, one thing is for sure when eaten in a group it is a great conversational piece.

 

Caribbean Fig Bananna's Coverd in Raw Jamaican Chocolate

 

 

                     A Raw Caribbean Chef’s Chocolate Tale’s

Mistakes were something that I use to dread in the kitchen however I no longer view it as something bad I view it as an opportunity to grow as a chef and come up with new ideas.

I started out trying to make Raw Jamaican chocolate bars however my vitamix got all wacko and started mixing everything very high. This caused the chocolate to be airy and lumpy. As I stared at this mystery chocolate in puzzle face mode I was hit with an idea.

Why not further melt it between two bowls one filled with hot tap water. As I did that the chocolate became smooth chocolate mouse and although creamy it wasn't going to be good for making chocolate bars so I quickly came up with another plan.

 My mother brought some Caribbean figs yesterday and I decided to smear the chocolate moose like texture over it and top it with nuts. It was a great idea the chocolate did firm up over the fig bananas and most importantly they tasted great.  I am no longer afraid of kitchen mistakes they only help me to make other culinary discoveries. What kitchen mistake have you made that turned out to be a success?

Luscious Cantalope Milk

Luscious Cantaloupe Milk

 

When your taste buds get a hold of this drink their going to scream why wasn’t I ever introduced to this before? This drink is awesome; it’s the right balance of creamy and sweet.

 

 

1 just ripe cantaloupe juiced with skin

3 cups of raw cashew milk

½ cup of agave

A Pinch of Celtic salt

 

 

 

Step 1:  Make the nut milk in your nut milk maker or blender

Step 2:  Juice the cantaloupe in your juicer

Step 3: Add the cashew milk and cantaloupe juice together in a large bowl, stir in the agave and salt. Chill and serve.

 

Sugar Apple

 

 

I grew up eating this extremely sweet fruit it taste sooooo good, kind of like candy. They grow abundantly in the Caribbean, and we were lucky enough to have a tree in our front yard so I have no idea how much they cost ( lucky me )

Name: Sugar apple or Custard Apple

How To Eat : When ripe you can enjoy this sugary treat by breaking it open and placing the segments into your mouth separating the flesh and seeds. Trust me it is so worth it. Also you can press the the flesh and seeds through a mesh and add the juice to nut milks or ice creams ;the surgary flavor doesn't dissopoint.

To God Be the Glory                

Pepino Melons Switch it Up !

 

 

                                                                                                       Susan and Grace

 

I have a cute story to tell, my uncle was a young man and he was sitting at the dinner table waiting for his mother my grandmother to fix his meal. As soon as she put it down in front of him he said breadfruit ! breadfruit! breadfruit ! soon from now we are going to be growing suckers meaning sprouting up small breadfruit plants out of his head.

So in light of going crazy from ingesting the same fruits all the time I am introducing Pepino's. Pepino's are a unique brand of fruit, they taste like a cross between a cucumber and a melon.  

They can be utilized in raw puddings,fruit salads and eaten as an appetizer.                                                         

 

 

 

                                                                                               Mali Online

 

 

 

Watermelon Three Easy Ways

 

                                                                                            Watermelon Picture Credit

Watermelon is juice-a-licious you can't deny it, when you cut into a crisp juicy watermelon and place it into your mouth it is like breaking through a juicy sugary piece of  heaven.

This season watermelon is big around here I usually buy one per week and devour it in less than two days.

    

 

Their are tons of watermelon varieties and there's even a moon and stars variety with yellow skin,can you believe it ?

Also for the married people watermelon is  a natural aphrodisiac, there's actually not a blue variety however you get the point.

 

Watermelon Juice

Watermelon juice is so nutritious and super easy too. This is a great breakfast tonic to get your body going and started off on the right track.

 

Half of watermelon

 

Step 1: scoop out the inside of a half of watermelon; place the meat in your blender, blend and drink.

 

For a tastier drink add agave and a little ginger to taste.

                              

                                                  Frozen Watermelon Juice Margarita

                                                                                                         

                             

                                                                  Watermelon with Ginger Slices

                             

 

BreadFruit

 

 

Breadfruit is part of the mulberry family, and are closely related to jack fruit; one tree can produce an upwards amount of  200 breadfruits. 

Breadfruit is kind of like an avocado, although technically a fruit we utilize it as a vegetable. In the Caribbean breadfruit is a staple food item,it is peeled and sliced then boiled,fried,or roasted kind of like a potato. 

The name bread fruit really describes this fruit because when boiled it does have a bread like consistency and it's natural color is white. Use it implace of bread,potatoes or any other starchy food.

Easy Watermelon Sorbet

 

 

 

Sometimes you don’t have to work for hours in the kitchen to achieve a successful dish. This can be a quick lunch time snack or a simple summertime breakfast. Allot of people are making more raw complicated recipes and that is great I indulge in those too, but lets not forget that some of the most tastiest and nutritious raw foods are the simplest ones.

 

 

 

Step 1: Cut a medium watermelon in half

Step 2: Scoop out the watermelon with an ice cream scooper and place it into a medium bowl.

Step 3: Place the bowl with the watermelon in the freezer and freeze for 30 mins or more.

Step: 4 garnish with fresh cherries and serve

Watermelons are at their peek season right now if your aren't at your farmers market picking some up you are seriously missing out. 

These are great useful tips for indulging in melons  of all kinds:

 

 

Melon Fruits like watermelon,cantaloupe and honey dew are great for the skin. You can make delicious juices and drinks out of them; you can also utilize them in fruit salads, smoothies and sorbets.

Smoothie Solution

 

 

There's nothing that a smoothie can't do ! They can be desserts,snacks,or complete meals ! Also you can talior fit them to your specific nutritional need. Green smothies are great for your skin and can aid in the repair of cells. Sweet smoothies like strawberry and blueberry are great as natural pick me ups and bad snack replacements. They also help to give you the raw glow because they need less digestion from the body and go straight into the blood stream.I have enjoyed all of these in great gratitude. They are also very child friendly and  Grown ups love them too. So continue to drink up I know I will !

                   Whats your favorite smoothie or smoothie combination ?

                                                                                                                                            Avocado Smoothie and Recipe from bewellbuzz

Avocado Smoothie Recipe

Half a ripe Avocado                                       1. Vanilla Bliss Smoothie

2 frozen bananas                                             2. Cantaloupe Strawberry

5 frozen or fresh strawberries                   3. Coconut Blueberry

splash of nut milk                                            4. Strawberry Banana

Pinch of cardamom                                        5. Blueberry Strawberry

Pinch of all spice                                              6. Coconut Banana

Blend and serve                                                7. Strawberry

                                                                                8. Strawberry almond Butter Cup frozen

 

Raw Blueberry Yogurt over Agave Infused Fruit Medoly

 

 

 

Hello Lovely's,I have been dying for a taste of pure yogurt you know the puss free kind. The kind that's not made with killer alternative rat poison better known as aspartame. Sorry if im being to  descriptive but the truth is the truth. I bet if there was a commercial for yogurt that said get your daily puss and rat poison all in one cup their sales would go under the ground. So instead of activaaaaaaaaaaaaa I am calling my raw yogurt pussfreevaaaaaa :) Thall be all and I know that thall isn't a word.

Off topic I heard a vegan joke that I would love to share with ya. Is a vegan allowed to eat animal crackers ? at least it's better that the where do you get your protein question.

 

Strawberry Drink

 

 

I love strawberries ! What can I say im addicted. This drink is very simple yet the pay off is so high.

 

• 1 package of frozen organic strawberries

• 1/2 cup of Maple Syrup

• Pinch of pink sea Salt

• 1 1/2 cups of filtered water

• Blend all ingredients and enjoy

 

Peach Smoothies

 

Me and my mother loves smoothies,peach is an often overlooked fruit option however you really don't know what your missing. Pech smoothies rawk !

 

Peach Smoothie

 

Peach Smoothie

Beautiful Raw Photography the Fruity Addition

   

   

 

 

 

Amazing Fruit

As Americans and as people living in America we tend to only pay attention to fruits of our native land. However it is important to realize that there are so many different fruit options out there that it will take over a life time to experience them. I have to say that this is what I love about the raw foods lifestyle, don't you think that that's cool ? These are just a few unique options that are out there.

 

Cashew Fruit

 

Capoasu is a relative of the cacao fruit,can you see the resemblance?

Sour Sop 

Sour Sop,this particular fruit is so special to me. When I was Living in Barbados we had our very own Sour Sop tree when it was ripe my dad would climb it or use a stick to retrieve this special fruit. Then we would remove the seeds and blend it,this drink is my all time favorite and if you had a chance to taste it I know that it would be yours as well 

Photo Credits: TiskIta

Blueberry Fondue Double Duity

This dip is super easy and supper tasty.

Blueberries

Raw Cashews

Vanilla

Pink salt

Agave

Blend

 

Freeze this mixture and you have blueberry ice cream

Simple Snacks are the Best !

Watermelon with Almonds and a drizzle of Raw Agave

Chocolate Dipped Fruit

I really love fondues,fruit dips and fruit covered in sweet sauces of any kind. These came out awesome because I used coconut butter which utilizes the coconut flesh as well as the oil. This allows the chocolate to stick to the fruit and when frozen it stays hard at room temperature.

 

raW Chocolate dipped strawberries decorated with dried coconut and chopped nuts.

 

rAW Chocolate dipped apple decorated with dried coconut, cacao beans,goji berries and chopped walnuts .

 

Blueberry Ice Cream

This blueberry ice cream is extremely fragrant, infused with raw vanilla beans the flavor is smooth and creamy. I love using organic blueberries because they really yield a brighter more visually appealing color. 

 

I had to take a picture of my vitamix smeared with blue berry ice cream batter,it looked so beautiful that I didn't want to wash it.

 

Persimmons

I like to call persimmons "Winter Mangoes", I call them winter mangoes because when winter hits and mango season is over it's nice to have this wonderful replacement available. If you never had a persimmon before they are sweet and extremely  delicious. When choosing a persimmon the softer the better.

 

Juicy Fruit Platter

I really love fruit and when arranged in an appetizing way no one can refuse it.