I spent the majority of yesterday settling in, unpacking and organizing. It was, predictably, a harassing flight but it sure feels good to be home again in the tropics.

Todays menu consisted of bananas picked straight from the trees on my property, fresh papaya and otaheite apples.

Tomorrow I will be uploading the Pepper Grinder Review and a few more shots of the island. Hopefully I can get to the beach at some point as I am so pale I basically glow in the dark at this point!

Hi All,

The site might be down for the duration of this weekend only due to server maintenance. I’ll be back on Monday with a special product review of Pepper Mills/Grinders so stay tuned!

Peace and Blessings!

Lisa

After such a rich meal on V Day I’ve been trying to keep things simple; mangoes and bananas.

A lot of us who eat this diet have family who do not share our beliefs. Some times its parents or children or even our husbands and wives. I am no different in this and have a husband who would have no issue gobbling down a steak without questioning the process and journey of how that steak got on his plate. These differences can cause quite a clash in the kitchen.

I don’t know about you ladies (and gents!) but I don’t have the time to cook two or three different meals for every picky eater in the house. What I try to do instead is use the same ingredients to make the same meal… slightly modified for my “cooked” better half.

For dinner this evening, I made two versions of the same dish. One cooked vegan one for Brent (he requested pasta) and one raw version for me!

The only differences between mine and his is that:

a) my pasta was obviously made from a vegetable and

b) he nuked his bowl for 45 seconds in the microwave (sneaky sneaky lol).

Other than that, the dishes are identical. I would love to show you a shot of mine but the camera batter died and I was starving so my dish didn’t last the length of time it took to recharge it again lol! You guys will have to just use your imagination…Behold: Seaweed “Pasta” Salad

I am really getting the hang of raw sauces and tonights sauce was my favorites so far! I marinated the seaweed in it and it was perfect! The pasta can be made with zucchinis or ribbons of carrots will work well also.

Ok guys… the following are the recipes to Brent and Lisa’s Valentines Day extravaganza (minus the dessert which I will post later when I have more time!). You can find the pictures of this menu HERE!

Just a warning: I rarely measure when I cook so what you see below are guesstimates. I go by taste, smell and touch so always be prepared to tweak recipes to your own unique palate!

The recipes are written to feed two people but they are very easy to double!

Wakame and Tomato salad with a ginger garlic sauce.

1/2 to 3/4 cup dried Wakame (depending on how hungry you are!)
1 large tomato, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
1 Tblsp ginger (about an inch long piece)
1/4 (or less) Nama Shoyu (always start with less as it is better to have to add)

Soak seaweed in water for a few minutes. It will double in size so make sure the bowl you use is big enough!

While seaweed is soaking, marinate garlic and ginger in the Nama Shoyu. Set aside

When seaweed is ready, squeeze water out of small handfuls, placing into or on your serving bowl or plate. Toss with the prepared sauce and let the flavors meld for a few minutes. Toss in diced tomatoes and serve!

Coconut noodles in a Thai Peanut Sauce

1 large younger coconut (you can make noodles out of the older ones too and I will be writing a post to show you how soon!)
1 carrot, juilenned
1 small bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 large lime, cut in half
1/2 cup ginger
Splash of sesame oil
Splash Nama Shoyu (optional)
Honey or agave nectar to taste
1/2 cup to 1 cup coconut water
1 small clove of garlic (totally optional if you don’t like garlic)
6 Thai basil leaves OR 10 spinach leaves will work just as well!
2 stalks green onion (scallion), julienned.
1 tsp cayenne or red pepper flakes will work also (I usually add more but I am toning the recipe down a bit for you guys. If you are a pepper fiend like me feel free to tweak)
About 3/4 cup raw peanuts or an equal amount of raw peanut butter
Couple Tblsp cashews or equal amount of cashew butter
Small handful of peanuts for garnishing

To make noodles:

Crack coconut open, reserve water and gently and carefully remove flesh as intact as possible using a flexible spatula. Cut in to thin strips (this does not have to be perfect and please don’t stress yourself out making the noodles all the same size as the sauce covers ANY imperfections). Set aside

To make sauce:

If using whole nuts, blend until a smooth nut butter consistency is reached. Don’t fret if the nut butter isn’t entirely smooth. This is a very forgiving recipe.

In same blender add: ginger, pepper, garlic if using, sesame oil, honey or agave and water (adding small amounts at a time until desired taste and consistency is reached. If you are serving right away squeeze one half of the lime into mixture and blend and serve. If you aren’t serving right away store mixture in fridge, bring to room temperature and then add the lime right before serving.

Assembly:

Cut remaining half of lime in half again. Toss together carrots, basil or spinach, coconut noodles, green onions and cilantro and arrange on plate. Pour peanut sauce over, top with additional nuts if using and arrange lime halves on each plate. Serve and enjoy!

One last note… the above is not a typical dinner at our house. We usually eat a lot more simply. Meals like this tend to be far too rich to serve daily… particularly with the dense chocolate dessert that I’ll be putting up the recipe for later.)