The Little Things

From ruby red raspberries to earthy dumplings with a difference, raw vegan chef Ani Phyo shows small treats can have a big impact. Ani shares two of her favourite recipes with Diary of a Vegan from her new bestseller: Anis Raw Food Essentials (see book for full recipe details).

The Body Mind Connection: The Key to Optimal Health (Part I)

You just have to browse the web or your nearest book store to see the world is obsessed with dieting. Yet if statistics are accurate, were not just tipping the scales, were on our way to breaking them. It has taken many of us years of restrictions and meal replacements to figure it out: diets dont work.

From calorie counting to cutting out carbs, a Pandoras Box awaits those who still dare to follow the latest diet craze. Yet achieving and maintaining your ideal figure is actually more simple than what weve been lead to believe-and it comes with a bonus: vibrant health.

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The World’s Greatest Food

We were going to highlight some great blogs that are dedicated to raw chocolate in all its healthful glory. Perhaps there arent too many around or we just got too hungry during our search and gave up too soon. The latter is undeniably true.

We also wanted to write something about chocolate, but, to tell you the truth, all we can do think about is eating it. So, the best option is to share a recipe from one of our fave and oft-visited raw food blogs, The Raw Chef. Oh, and a great book from David Wolfe thats dedicated to this widely adored, yet sometimes misused, food: Naked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth About the Worlds Greatest Food.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Torte with Whipped Cashew Cream

For the base

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup pecans
1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon melted cacao butter
1 teaspoon agave
1 teaspoon lemon juice

- Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until they bind.

- Press into a 9″ springform cake pan and place in the fridge to set.

For the filling

1 cup Irish Moss paste*
1 cup cashews
1 1/2 cups cacao powder
3 cups grated or chopped cacao butter which has then been melted
1 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon tamari
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and pour on top of the base.

- Leave in the fridge to set.

*Irish Moss paste can be made by soaking 1 cup Irish Moss in water for 3 – 5 hours and rinsing THOROUGHLY until rinse water turns clear (therell be a lot of sand in the moss). Then blend the rinsed moss with 2 cups pure water in a Vita-Mix until completely smooth. Leave to set in the fridge if not using straight away.

Chefs tip: Add 1 drop of peppermint essential oil to the filling mixture for a mint chocolate variation.

For the cream topping

1 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours or more
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons Irish Moss paste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon macadamia oil (optional)

- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

- Serve with chocolate torte and fresh berries.

Why I Don’t Wear Sunscreen (and Never Will)

I don’t wear sunscreen and never will.

I stopped using sunblock the moment I stopped being a beauty editor a few years ago. A combination of gut feeling and research told me what I was being told to “protect” my skin with was little more than a poison (and poisonous it is).

10 Reasons Santa Should Go Vegan

As Christmas day nears, I’ve been thinking about jolly ol’ Santa and his love for milk and cookies … how his turning vegan could be the biggest gift to vegan activists everywhere.

7 WAYS TO … MAKE GREEN SMOOTHIES

By Rhonda Lee

As a passionate raw foodist, I often teach workhops on this lifestyle that I love so much. One of these workshops is titled “Demystifying the Green Smoothie.” I love this one for many reasons. It’s fun and easy for people to realize how simple it is to incorporate healthy foods into their lifestyle with simple tools and techniques and very fast results!

Healthy Diet? Kick the Supplements

Goji, maca, noni, bee pollen — health has replaced hair dye as the cool thing to “do”, but a quick walk through the market can leave the well-intentioned health enthusiast feeling nutritionally confused and downright inadequate.

Nature’s Calling

Planet Raw, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

Review by Shannon Dunn

A NATURAL STATE If you hadnt heard of raw food aficionado Juliano and happened to stumble upon his restaurant in LAs famed seaside suburb of Santa Monica, youd be forgiven for wondering where the grills and ovens are. Here, words such as bake, boil, steam and barbeque are left at the door of the nearest fast food joint. At Planet Raw, its all about food preparation that keeps natures (organic) food in its natural state, with life-giving enzymes kept fully in tact to give you a boost that, quite simply, no other form of food preparation could. Yet, its important to know that carrots and beans on a plate its not. Food here is prepared with loving care, with many ingredients spending long, lazy hours in food dehydrators before being whipped up into gourmet works of art at the instruction of the “guru” himself, Juliano.

Raw on the Run

Eating raw, live foods enliven cells and contribute to a better functioning body. As more people awaken to the incredible benefits of this natural way of eating, the global ecology also begins to flourish. But besides grabbing an apple, how can eating raw become convenient to keep up with a busy lifestyle?

Raw Fact: There is a Cure for Diabetes

A new film that follows six diabetics, shows beating the disease starts with what you put in your mouth.