APHRODITE'S TEARS AND THE ART OF SEDUCTION

Well, let's get straight to the point.
I love strawberries. Always  did and I always will! To me, they are little treasures from heaven.
Which they probably are.
And it's strawberry season in Wexford! Yay!! So, let's indulge a little...  ;-)

Wild strawberries (www.gardenposts.co.uk)

The Cherokees have a really nice story about Strawberries, which I want to pass on to you - here is food writer Jo Marshalls abbreviated version of it:

First Man and First Woman (think Cherokee Adam and Eve) have a blowout argument, after which First Woman proclaims: “You are lazy and pay no attention to me. I am going to find another place to live.” With that, she harrumphs off with that indignant, power-walker briskness achieved only by angry women.

First Man feels remorse. He sets off to apologize, but can’t catch up. His legs are no match for her will. Desperate, he beseeches the Creator: “Please, slow her down so I can tell her how much I love her.”

Moved by First Man’s anguish, the Creator sets temptations in First Woman’s path. He tries gooseberries. He tries huckleberries. He tries blackberries. But First Woman pays them no attention, and proceeds at her frantic clip.

Finally, the Creator turns to his own garden and plucks the berry of the Heavens. He sets Earth’s first strawberry plant at First Woman’s feet. Miraculously, it blooms and bears fruit.

First Woman stops dead in her tracks. She’s smitten by the graceful leaves, the lovely bloom, the heart-shaped fruit. She decides to pause for a single bite.

As she picks the first berry, more plants sprout around her. She tastes one strawberry. Then another, and another. As she plucks and feasts, her anger melts away.

She unpacks a basket she brought for her journey, and as she fills it with shiny red fruit, she’s filled with longing for her husband. When the basket will hold no more, First Woman pivots and heads for home, as fast as she had run away.

Still in hot pursuit, First Man looks up and sees First Woman coming toward him. She’s smiling and singing again. His heart soars. He tries to tell her how much he missed her, but she puts her hand to his lips, and places a strawberry in his mouth.

Silently, he thanks the Creator for a gift with the power to bring First Woman back. First Woman takes First Man’s hand and leads him home, feeding him berries all the way.

(Artwork by Savannah Mize)

Grown from Aphrodite's tears (according to greek mythology), fresh, juicy, sweet strawberries are no doubt one of the best foods for seduction, which is probably the reason why millions of punnets of them are sold each year on valentine's day (even though it's february and they have to be imported). They make a perfect accompaniment for champagne and are a fail safe gift for a lover. My husband knew this - he brought a bottle of champagne and two punnets of Wexford strawberries to our first date (a blind date, set up by a friend whom I be forever grateful to!) on June bankholiday sunday 2005. 

So this weekend I made us a luscious, decadent and delicious raw vegan strawberry cheesecake, combined with yummy (and aphrodisiac) ingredients like raw chocolate and brazilnuts ;-).

I will write down the recipe for you in a way that you have the option to make different versions of the same treat, from very quick and easy to a little more luxurious. Don't worry though, they are all a lot easier to make than traditional cheescake!

Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake

(also possible without the chocolate - read on...)

Crust:

1 cups chopped Brazil nuts

1/2 cup dates (depending on moisture & sweetness)

2 tbsp cocoa powder (optional)

1/8 cup desiccated coconut

good pinch of sea salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor, until it resembles breadcrumbs. Press into a cheescake tin and keep in the fridge or freezer to harden while you make the filling.

Filling:

2 cups cashews

juice from 1 1/2 lemons

1/3 cup agave syrup

1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/4 cup cocoa butter (melted) for a creamy white chocolate flavor,  OR just 1/3 cup coconut oil for a simple cheesecake style (melted) 

1 Vanilla pod OR 1 drop Vanilla ess. oil 

1 small punnet strawberries

a little water (as needed)

Wash the strawberries and remove greens. Layer them (whole) on top of the crust. 

Process everything else apart from the coconut oil in a high speed blender. Pour coconut oil into the running blender at the end and blend well.

Pour over the strawberries, onto the crust. Shake a little to even it out. Return to freezer while making the toppings.

Another version is, instead of layering the strawberries on top of the crust, blend them into the filling to make a strawberry flavored, beautifully pink cheesecake.

Fruit topping (optional):

1/2 punnet  Strawberries

2 - 3 dates

Blend in a blender until smooth. Pour onto the cheesecake and decorate with fresh Strawberries. Keep in the freezer for a few hours or in the fridge for a day.

Raw chocolate (optional):

100 g Cocoa butter, melted

6 tbsp Agave syrup

6 tbsp cocoa powder

whisk together until smooth.

Dip remaining strawberries into chocolate and let them dry. Drizzle remaining chocolate over cake, decorate with chocolate strawberries. Keep it in the fridge for a day to set & bring out the flavor.

Notes:

You can substitute Brazil nuts for almost any other nut (Almonds, Walnuts, Macadamia, Cashew nuts or Pecans all work very well) and you can substitute the Strawberries for almost any fruit you like (Blueberries, Raspberries, Mango, Peach or Cherries work very well for this). You can also make this without the chocolate (just stick to coconut oil for the filling and decorate only with strawberries - this is delicious too! 

Makes an 8 inch cheesecake.

Here is one I made a while back, without the fruit topping, no cocoa butter and the strawberries blended into the filling:

And this one was made with blueberries instead of strawberries - I didn't use any chocolate or cocoa butter and blended the blueberries into the filling instead of layering them onto the crust. Topped with blueberry fruit topping:

So, I hope I have inspired you a little - at least enough to go out and get yourself some strawberries and share them with your love. Or a friend. Or don't share them at all. ;-) 

And if you don't feel like making one, order one from D'Lush @ Wexford Arts Centre - Linda Larkin has them on the menu, just inquire about it! ;-) 

Bye for now!

Sandra

CHIA UP, ITS ALL PEACHY ;-)

Sometimes, when it's cold, rainy and miserable outside, I just want to curl up on the couch, watch a movie and indulge in some comfort eating. Preferably something sweet, creamy and luxurious.  But of course it has to be healthy and filling and make me feel good even after I've eaten it. Especially on a day like today, when even donkeys wouldn't want to be outside!

Well, I found the perfect treat!

I recently made a delicious raw peach torte from my new book "Rawmazing Desserts" by my food hero Susan Powers. The taste was heavenly! But unfortunately the cream turned out too runny and it didn't look anything like the one in the book and I won't show you any pictures of it. ;-) But I will tell you what I did with the leftover bowl full of peachy cashew cream....

PEACHY CHIA SEED PUDDING WITH COULIS

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup chia seeds
4 peaches

For the cream, blend
1 cup soaked & drained cashew nuts
1 cup water
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup Agave syrup (or more if you like it sweeter)
well in a blender, until smooth.
Cut 2 peaches into quarters and slice thinly, then mix into the cream.
Then stir in the chia seeds and pour into 2 bowls. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 min or more. Cut one peach into chunks and blend with 1/4 cup Agave syrup. Drizzle over the pudding. Slice the remaining peach thinly and use it to decorate the pudding. If you like, you can also sprinkle something colorful on top, I used soaked goji berries.

Of course, as usually, you can substitute any other fruit for the peaches - oranges are particularly nice. And if you want to leave out the coconut oil altogether, you can use only cashew nuts (just increase the amount of nuts and just use as much water as you need to achieve a creamy, thick but still runny consistency).

The leftover coulis makes a great cordial, with sparkling water and ice. Or mix with orange juice and freeze to make ice lollies for a sunnier day.

CHIA SEED NUTRITION
I love chia seeds for the fact that you can digest them whole and that they gel up into a yummy pudding. But they also have great nutritional benefits! Grown mainly in Mexico, where they are eaten since ancient times, they are meant to give physical strength (their name even means strength). The little seeds contain a lot of omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, protein and anti-oxidants. In fact, they are so dense in nutrients that they are classified as a super food. Soaked in liquid, they turn into a gel that looks a little like frogspawn, but prettier and more appetizing ;-) Because they keep swelling in your stomach, they are really satisfying and make you feel quite full!
Chia's are a member of the mint family and you can quite easily sprout them - in fact, this is what they used to be known for in the 80's:

In case you're feeling crafty now, I found this link online http://www.ehow.com/how_2049510_make-unique-chia-pet.html, it shows you how to make your own. ;-)

CASHEWS
Nutritional scientists have come to the conclusion that the ideal and most health benefitting ratio of saturated, monosaturated and polysaturated fats is 1:2:1. And cashews have exactly that. And even though they are creamy in texture, they actually contain less fat than peanuts, walnuts or almonds!
Cashews are studied a lot these days for their content of a certain flavanoid, called proanthocyanidin, which has the ability to starve tumors and stop cancer cells from dividing. Cashews are full of minerals and nutrients like magnesium, copper, phytonutrients and antioxidants that are good for the heart and can protect us from heart disease. They can also prevent gallstones and migraines and make your skin glow! Cashews are grown in South East Asia, Africa and South America, and are actually the seed of the cashew apple, and is attached on the outside of the fruit.

(Picture from The Perfect Pantry)

Cashews are probably the most versatile of seeds in the raw food kitchen, as are the perfect dairy substitute and you can make them into milk, cream, whipped cream, cream cheese, mayo, ice cream, cheesecake, icing etc... So don't worry, you will see a lot of them here on my blog! ;-)

PEACHES
Peaches, Apricots and Cherries used to be my favorite fruit when I was a child. Growing up in sunny Bavaria, they were abundant each summer and dripping with sweet sticky juice. Unfortunately this remains a fond memory, since I moved to Ireland in 1999. What Tesco sells as "super sweet" is unfortunatley nowhere near the taste explosion I remember. But they are still good to use in raw cakes, pies, smoothies and ice cream, sweetened with a little agave or honey and make a nice change during the summer months. If however you come across some fresh organic peaches at a farmers market, shop till you drop! I have found that they usually taste a lot better!
With peaches, you'll get a good amount of Vitamin A, C and K, potassium, iron and anti-oxidants.


So there you go,
I hope you enjoy this healthy treat - it makes a great breakfast too, a bit like a very creamy porridge ;-)

See you soon!
Sandra

RUBY RED AND FIERY SPICE

One of my favorite books of all time begins with a beetroot and ends with the devil.
To quote Tom Robbins from "Jitterbug perfume":

“The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.


Slavic peoples get their physical characteristics from potatoes, their smoldering inquietude from radishes, their seriousness from beets.
The beet is the melancholy vegetable, the one most willing to suffer. You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip...
The beet is the murderer returned to the scene of the crime. The beet is what happens when the cherry finishes with the carrot. The beet is the ancient ancestor of the autumn moon, bearded, buried, all but fossilized; the dark green sails of the grounded moon-boat stitched with veins of primordial plasma; the kite string that once connected the moon to the Earth now a muddy whisker drilling desperately for rubies.
The beet was Rasputin's favorite vegetable. You could see it in his eyes.” 

Well, I was dead serious about my lunch salad today! On friday I had been shopping at the farmers market and bought a ton of fruit and vegetables for the coming week. Among them, of course, a bunch of beetroots.

 Fresh, deep red juicy beets from the farmers market mixed with fiery spicy red chilies and some crunchy seeds, trust me, it can't get any better than that! 

This recipe is (like the book) an old time favorite of mine:

(of course you can use different seeds and substitute the radishes, as long as you have the beets! ;-))

SPICY BEETROOT, RADISH & SESAME SALAD 

Salad:

1 bunch beetroots, grated (save the leaves, they are an excellent green vegetable, use just like spinach!)

1 small bunch red radishes, chopped in quarters

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

Mix well

Dressing:

1 red chili, deseeded and chopped fine

1 clove garlic

juice of 1 lemon

1/8 cup (1 ounce) olive oil

1/8 cup (1 ounce) soy sauce

1 tsp Agave or honey

Mix well and pour over the salad. Enjoy!

This dressing is probably my favorite ever salad dressing. It works also with any other grated root vegetable or leafy greens or whatever takes your fancy. I often make 5 or 6 times the amount, and keep it in the fridge. It should keep for at least 2 weeks.

And this is what you'll get:

BEETROOT:

Beetroot make your muscles work better! They are known for increasing stamina, not only in the bedroom but in any other aspect of your life! Eat more beets and you'll work out longer, walk further, and carry heavier loads without feeling as fatigued! 

Like any other strongly colored vegetable, beets have an enormous amount of antioxidants. 

Beetroots also contain nitrates, which make your body produce nitric oxygen, which widens your blood vessels and lowers blood pressure, making it a powerful little vegetable to prevent heart disease and protect from dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Beetroots also contain Silica, which is great for hair, nails, skin and bones and can prevent osteoporosis. Consuming beets lowers cholesterol, balances blood sugar and helps with anemia! 

CHILIS:

www.nutrition-and-you.com gives a nutritional analysis of chili peppers:

Chili peppers have amazingly high levels of vitamins and minerals. Just 100 g provides (in % of recommended daily allowance):

240% of vitamin-C (Ascorbic acid), 
39% of vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine), 
32% of vitamin A, 
13% of iron,
14% of copper, 
7% of potassium

Chili's are also an ancient medicinal plant, used to cure colds, fevers, sore throats, improve circulation, strengthen arteries and I have heard they can cure a hangover! Mostly this is due to  Capsaicin (which also gives them their spiciness), so the spicier the chili, the better it's medicinal properties! But be careful if you are not used to it! Capsaicin is also used to make pepper spray, so watch out! ;-)

GARLIC:

Like Chili, garlic is also classified as a medicinal herb, and a very powerful one too! Known as a natural antibiotic, it has (when taken raw) the ability to kill a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, making it a great food to help your immunity when you are feeling ill or run down. Garlic can also lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol and help prevent blood clots and heart disease. It has also been used to decrease the size of cancerous tumors and reduce pain and inflammation, especially in arthritis patients. 

LEMON:

There are so many medicinal uses for fresh lemons, here are a few: Lemon juice boosts your immune system, it is antiviral and antibacterial, is a great liver cleanser and digestive aid and promotes weight loss, it contains a ton of nutrients and (even though they are acidic) have an alkalizing effect on the body. 

Whenever I buy fresh fruit & vegetable I soak them for 10 minutes in vinegar water (1 cup vinegar, white or cider into a sink full of cold water), then rinse them, dry them and store them. It makes them last longer, especially berries, as the vinegar kills off any mold spores, and is supposed to be a great way to wash away any pesticides or wax. 

So, there you go! I hope you'll enjoy this salad one day, maybe outside, on a sunny day... ;-)

Bye for now!

Sandra

LET'S GO WILD!!


What a beautiful sunny day!
Perfect for a nice stroll through the garden to collect some wild green superfoods absolutely free!
There are edible greens everywhere, healthier even than spinach or shop bought kale!

So, baby in the buggy, extra strong household gloves on my hands and equipped with a big bowl and scissors, I went and cut the tips of lots of nettles for dinner today.

Once the nettles are collected, they need to be blanched (pour boiling water over them and leave for a couple of minutes) to remove the sting. I have never tried them raw and to be perfectly honest I am not planning to either, but if any of you want to try them in a green smoothie, please let me know how it went! ;-).
When the nettles are blanched, strain them but don't throw away the water, it contains a lot of goodness -  like a super fresh and strong nettle tea that you can drink pure or with some honey or use as a hair rinse to make your hair shiny, or treat skin conditions with, or pour into your bath.....

When they are strained, cut them up and use them in your cooking. There are a lot of recipes for nettle soup like this one http://glosvegans.wordpress.com/tag/vegan-nettle-soup/ (it also has a great recipe for wild garlic pesto), but you can use it in any way you would use spinach or kale (other than raw ;-)).

Tonight, we had spelt spaghetti with wild greens (nettles, chickweed and "fat hen"), creamed with macadamia nut cheese and it was delicious! ;-)

NETTLE NUTRITION

Nettles are super high in nutrients like Vitamins A, B, K and C, iron, potassium, sulphur and calcium. In fact, according to skipthepie.org's nutritional calculator, only 1 cup of nettles contain 43% of your daily value of calcium - at only 37 calories! They also contain serotonin and can suppress appetite and balance your mood, plus, they are perfect for detoxifying and strengthening your immune system, purify the blood and shed excess water.

So there you go! Eat more weeds! ;-)

Next on my list is a favorite of mine:

WILD GARLIC

I am very lucky to have a big garden with a river at the end and lots of wild herbs and edible greens growing on my doorstep, but even if you live in a city you really don't have to go very far to find some treasures! Springtime is great for foraging for greens and wild garlic is one of my favorite ever! If you live in Wexford, why not take a walk through the beautiful grounds of Tintern Abbey, where the ground is carpeted with these beauties! You find a great recipe for wild garlic pesto here http://glosvegans.wordpress.com/tag/vegan-nettle-soup/.

CHICKWEED AND FAT HEN

These two are great "weeds" and we have millions of them in our garden. Both are great wild green vegetables that are very nutritious and also have lots of medicinal properties.
Look up more about chickweed here http://www.livestrong.com/article/407614-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-chickweed/ and about fat hen (or lambs quarters) here http://herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.ie/2011/08/fat-hen-not-just-chicken-feed-history.html

So I really did have a great day today! Walking and foraging outdoors in sunshine with the birds singing and the kids playing, shopping in nature for free and then making and eating a tasty meal!
Maybe you want to try it too some day? ;-)

GREEN AND GOLD = HEALTHY LIVING! ;-)


More greens for you!

So, after my green smoothie breakfast this morning (see my first blog), which, by the way you can of course substitute the spinach for kale, I felt like a big bowl of fresh, green Kale salad for lunch.
Kale is a particularly nutritional powerhouse, and isn't categorized as a superfood for nothing!
It is incredibly high in iron (more than beef per calorie!), calcium (more than milk per calorie!) and magnesium, antioxidants, Vitamins (particularlyK, A and C) and is one of the best foods to detoxify your body, boost your immune system, protect your heart and strengthen your bones.
Only be careful if you are on blood thinning medication like warfarin, as the high amounts of vitamin K can have a naturally similar effect.

In any case, I loved my salad!

For the base:

1 packet of curly kale (or any other types of kale)
juice of 1 lemon
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
1 good pinch of salt

Remove the leaves from the tough inner stems and cut into very small strips. Put into a bowl and mix with the other ingredients. And by mix, I mean get your hands in there! Massage, rub, squeeze and scrunch until the kale has shrunk to about a quarter of the volume and is nicely tender!

Then you can add any or all of the following:

Cherry tomatoes
Pine Nuts (or any other nuts)
Sunflower seeds (or any other seeds)
Olives
Grapes

or else be creative!
I have to give credit to Jennifer Cornbleet for this one, here is the original version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykedcGpo1Jk

Enjoy!

What else can be done with kale?

KALE CHIPS

Who doesn't like to munch on something salty and crispy? And while the usual potato crisps are definitely the most addictive of them all (don't even start on them!), there are plenty of healthy and tasty alternatives. One of them are Kale crisps/chips.  To be truly raw, they have to be done in a dehydrator. But I know that many of you don't own one and don't (yet) want to spend money on one, and don't really mind if it's raw, as long as it is healthier than Tayto's, so will post you an alternative to be baked in an oven that I have found on the internet. I haven't tried this one out myself so please let me know how it turned out if you do!

RAW VERSION:
http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-food-kale-chips-9-ways/

BAKED VERSION:
http://yourlighterside.com/2013/03/roasted-kale-chips-four-ways/

So why GOLD?
Well, of course, I am starting my ZUMBA GOLD classes today!

I have been really looking forward to this and am so excited about it! Zumba Gold classes are NOT just classes for active older participants, as they are sometimes run in the US (even though they are well suitable for them), are for ALL ages, shapes and levels and are as much fun (if not more!) as any other Zumba class and can even be a more effective workout! Why? Because they work your whole body, train your core and keep you fit in a more holistic way, without putting too much stress on knees and joints and by providing routines that you can easily follow CORRECTLY, so you can get more out of it. Altogether, it feels more like dance to me (with hidden fitness and toning elements that you will hardly notice) than like aerobics and can make you feel great! Well, that's only my own opinion and you all know I am biased because I just love love love to dance!

ENJOY YOUR WORKOUT, WHATEVER IT IS!!

Also, I do believe you can actually loose more weight and shape up quicker if you actually enjoy your workout, as you won't be causing any stress to your body and mind, which can actually prevent you from achieving your goals! In fact, rising cortisol levels can lower your metabolism, increase your fat storage and cause you food cravings, so always pick a workout that you actually really enjoy, no matter what! 20 minutes walking a day can do much more for you than a tough workout in the gym if you don't enjoy them!
Here is an article about this you can have a look through
http://www.musclemagfitness.com/nutrition/weight-management/how-stress-can-affect-your-weight.html

In any case, I do hope to see some of you in class some day!
Mondays, 6.30pm @ Oylegate community centre or
Thursdays 6.30 pm @ Step by Step Dance Studio, 12 Westpoint, Wexford.

Bye for now!
Sandra

EAT UP YOUR ICE CREAM, IT'S GOOD FOR YOU! ;-)

Ok, if you know me, you'll know I have a sweet tooth. But you'll also know that I don't like to eat candy bars, shop bought biscuits or dairy ice cream.
And luckily I don't ever have to because there are a million alternatives that are so much more delicious and don't make you feel heavy, sick and guilty afterwards.

But sometimes it has to be quick and easy. For this reason I always keep some frozen fruit in the freezer - my favourite are bananas, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. I also happen to have bags of grapes from our own vine that we harvested last autumn and some of last years apples.
And if I buy big fruit like Pineapple or Melon I might eat some and freeze the rest (peeled and cut into pieces in a freezer bag).
Frozen grapes by the way make a tasty little treat in themselves - they are cold, sweet and creamy on the inside, very delicious!

But for what I had in mind today, bananas were the main part, because today I made

BANANA AND BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM
(for 2 people)

You will need:

2 frozen Bananas
1 good handful of frozen blueberries

Cut the bananas into pieces and blend them with the blueberries in a blender or foodprocessor. If you need to, add a little water (only as much as you need) to help the process.

That's all! You will end up with a yummy, creamy, deliciously sweet, melt in your mouth ice cream that  even your kids will love and you can tell them to eat it up because it's good for you! ;-)

And of course you can make this with other fruit too, but I would stick to bananas as a base.

Unless you want to make a yummy slushy ice cream drink!!

I often make this for the boys, they love it and again, it's full of nutrients and antioxidants and so so good for you! ;-)

Here it goes:

(this makes 3 big glasses)

1 packet of frozen raspberries (or strawberries, blueberries, mixed berries...)
1 glass water
Honey to taste

Blend in a blender to slushy-like consistency and serve ice-cold!

Enjoy!! ;-)

HAS SUMMER FINALLY ARRIVED IN IRELAND?

It's still a long way, but at least I was wearing sandals today, YAY!! ;-)

Temperatures were up to - hold your breath - 17ºC!!! Almost enough to go to the beach! ;-)

I can't wait for my veggies to grow so I can have the freshest of fresh dishes on the menu!!

It's amazing how many people these days are getting excited by the raw food movement, inspired by thousands of people who published their incredible stories online.
Just look at people like Philip McCluskey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kbKL8KKBJk or the Boutenko family http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzQrN-P1VsY.

Anyway, even in Ireland, where it is perpetually cold and damp, an increased percentage of raw food in their diet is making more and more people feel better, healthier and more energetic! My own little circle of friends with a taste for green things is certainly growing...

Yesterday I had a friend over for tea. We both weren't hungry but we were talking non stop about delicious raw recipes until I almost started drooling so I made a quick raw carrot satay - just a tiny amount for for us to snack on. 

What can I say, it is sooo tasty! My friend licked the bowl and spoon shiny clean and made more at home for dinner for her family while I myself couldn't stop thinking about it all day and had to have a bigger portion of it for lunch today, so here it is:

RAW CARROT SATAY:

Grate 2 - 3 carrots into a bowl. Or use a spiralizer to cut noodles. Or use a vegetable peeler and peel around the carrot until you can't peel any more to make ribbon "pasta".

For the sauce, blend (or whisk) together 1 garlic clove (finely chopped or blended), 1 red chili pepper (without the seeds, also finely chopped or blended, 1 heaped tablespoon of peanut butter, juice of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon (or to taste) soy sauce.

Mix carrot with the sauce and eat. Then go make more because you will want to! ;-)

I have to admit, the peanut butter was a bit of a cheat - If you want to be especially healthy and raw, use a freshly ground almonds and a little water instead, or at least cheat with almond butter. But if you don't have either, go ahead and cheat like me!

In any case - it is DELICIOUS!! 

THE GOODNESS OF CARROTS

Carrots are well known as a very rich source of carotene and Vitamin A, which helps strengthen our vision, skin and reproductive organs. They are also known for their high amounts of anti oxidants and are recently being studies for containing special compounds called falcarinol and falcaridiol, which are the carrots natural pesticide (which is why they are so easily grown organically) and has an ability to destroy pre-cancerous cells in tumors
And of course they contain plenty of other vitamins and minerals, taste sweet and delicious and are low in calories.

Bon Appetit! ;-)