• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno -  remove seeds
• 1/4 cup ginger juice
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbl. tamari
• 1 Tbl.. salt
• 1 Tbl. agave
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 bunch basil
• 1.5 cups almond butter (or peanut butter if you don't mind it not being raw)

Blend well in vita mix or high speed blender

Here is the recipe for our special Valentine's day item we had at the cafes on Wednesday!  If you missed it's one night only appearance at Cafe Gratitude, then try making a special meal with this rawesome recipe here!

Ingredients:

This recipe is brought to you by Robin Mast, five star chef turned IT director (ours, in fact!).  She delighted us by bringing some into the office the other day, and I must say, it is an absolute show-stopper.

This spicy soup is as delicious as it is satisfying!  Try it as an entree with some raw bread, or a salad.

Makes 3 cups, serves 3-4
2 cups carrot juice
1 large avocado (save a bit for the garnish)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ jalapeño pepper
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 mint leaves
15 large basil leaves
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
Place all ingredients in your blender. Purée until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Pour into three or four bowls, and garnish with a mint leaf or a thin slice of avocado.
Note: to gently warm this soup, simply blend a little longer. The friction alone will create heat.

By Heather Haxo Phillips

Makes 2 cups

·         2 cups almonds

·         1 cup Rejuvelac (or 1 cup water with 2 capsules of probiotic powder)

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 tablespoon lemon juice

·         2 teaspoons miso

·         a pinch of nutmeg

·         dried or fresh herbs and spices to garnish such as  basil, parsley, rosemary or cracked pepper

 Directions:

1. Blanch the almonds by bringing approximately four cups water almost to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the almonds and allow to sit for 3 - 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the almonds in cool water, then slip off the peels.
2. Place the almonds and Rejuvelac in a high-speed blender and process until smooth, adding more Rejuvelac if necessary to form a smooth, creamy texture. 
3. Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag or cheesecloth-lined strainer (such as a strawberry basket or colander). Allow to strain and ferment for 12-36 hours, until desired tartness is achieved. 
4. Remove the cheese from the strainer and add the salt, lemon juice, miso and nutmeg.  Adjust the salt and lemon juice to your liking.
5. To create a typical chevre-style log, place your cheese as a ball in the middle of a large piece of wax paper.  Roll the sides of the wax paper until you have created a tube shape with your cheese.  Place your cheese, in its wax paper, in the refrigerator 8 – 24 hours so that it can set and thicken.  Just before serving, sprinkle the herbs/spices on all sides of the roll until well covered. Then roll it off the wax paper and onto a plate.  Cut and serve as desired.
6. To mold the cheese into a thick chevre-round, place a nutmilk bag or cheesecloth over your favorite round mold.  Firmly push the cheese into the mold.  Refrigerate the cheese until ready to use, 8 – 24 hours is best.  Plate it by turning over the mold and removing your cheesecloth.  Decorate with your herbs and spices.

Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the “Chevre” will last for up to one week.

Have you ever found yourself in the position of needing to loose more than 100 pounds?  Have you ever taken a leap of faith from a secure, successful career to choose your own freedom and fulfillment?  Do you know what it is like to loose the weight, leave the job, and learn to fly?

Well, Alison Ottaway does.  As far as miracle stories go, I believe Alison has lived through 3 or 4 of them, and is still going strong.  It all began in her early twenties, when she refused some chocolate raisins offered her by a friend.  One small step gave her the courage to become the woman she knew she was meant to be, exercising at home, shifting her diet, and ultimately loosing over 140lbs.  A year and a half later, she felt like a new person, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

By her late twenties, she was leading a life that by most accounts could be termed 'successful.' She had a stable marriage, a mortgage, and a highly lucrative job at Microsoft. However, her BMW, expensive lifestyle, and nights spent out drinking did not satisfy her, and she found inside herself a growing desire to feel vibrantly free and alive. Again, it was time for

Here is a Free Form version of my favorite Miso soup. It contains many healing, cleansing and supportive foods from the list of beneficial foods as listed on my website, and is SO yummy…taste as you go and make it your own!

Kelp Noodle Miso