Raw Vegan Pizza Rafts

I'll be honest here.  One thing I've missed for years is pizza.  Real pizza.  But due to my food allergies and being vegan I haven't had real pizza in over 13 years.  Oh I've had my fair share of gluten-free vegan pizzas and recently have made some rather yummy raw vegan versions that would give the real deal a run for the money.  But, the raw crust takes some time to prepare and dehydrate before you can put it all together and sometimes I just don't have that much extra time. 

On the flip side, eating raw lets you be very creative when it comes to recipes.  For instance, after watching Megan Elizabeth's Raw Vegan Pizza Bites Bam! video, it inspired me to create my own version: Raw Vegan Pizza Rafts!  My complete recipe is at the end of the post and below are a few pictures with a little info and to tempt you to either create as is or perhaps inspire you to create your own version as well.

First I cut my zucchini rafts using my mandoline slicer then set them aside.  No worries if you don't have mandolin slicer, simply use a sharp knife to slice as you wish.

Next, I prepare my pizza sauce and let it drain from a fine mesh strainer so that it is not a soupy mess when preparing my rafts.

We need cheese for our pizza too.  No, it's not like regular cheese, so don't get over excited.  This version I made is more like cheese crumbles, but goes well with the pizza.

Did you say toppings?  Of course!  Let your imagination roll with this as just about anything goes.  For this pizza I used mushrooms that I marinated to take on a "cooked" texture and appearance.

While there are a few steps here, it pretty much flows quickly.  Plus it is not near as time consuming as when making raw crusts... especially when you are craving pizza in a hurry.

Raw Vegan Pizza Rafts 
makes about 6 or more large slices

Rafts
1 very large zucchini or 2 medium - cut into thick slices with a mandoline or knife
(these could be made last to give the mushrooms time to marinate and sauce to drain)

Marinated Mushrooms
8-10 baby portobellos - on the large side, sliced
1/2 Tbs each: EVO, raw agave, amino acids (braggs, etc.) balsamic vinegar

Combine liquid ingredients in a small bowl then toss in mushrooms to coat.  Don't worry, it may look like there is not enough liquid but the mushrooms will create their own juice as well.  Set in fridge to marinate either for a couple hours or while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients.  The longer you marinate the more "cooked" texture they will have.

Pizza Sauce
1/2 cup full sundried tomatoes, soaked about 15 minutes and drained
1 cup full cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup vidalia onion (or onion of choice)
1 garlic clove
1 small date
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp fennel seed
pinch sea salt

Put all ingredients into a food processor, pulse a couple times and then process until you have a nice thick sauce.  If it looks a little watery, pour the sauce into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and set aside to drain.

Cheese
1/2 cup raw cashews (preferably soaked and dried, but not necessary)
1 Tbs hemp seed
1 1/2 Tbs Nutritional Yeast
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch sea salt

Process all ingredients until it is a crumbly texture.

Now to put together the pizza rafts.  Simply layer each zucchini with sauce, plenty of cheese and top with the marinated mushrooms.  I placed them in the fridge until Mark got home from work and then we ate them cold - along with a gorgeous green salad.  These delicious pizza rafts would also be yummilicious after dehydrated for an hour or two.  I'll do that next time.

Hope I got your creative juices flowing.  If you make your own version I would love to hear it!

Peace,
Raw Rocki

Raw Vegan Creamy Chocolate Shake

Creamy... Healthy... Yummy... Chocolate Shake!

In the mood for chocolate?   Try my Raw Vegan Creamy Chocolate Shake!  It will not only satisfy your chocolate craving, it will fill you up in a healthy way as well.  Plus it is quick and easy to make. 

3/4 to 1 cup fresh water (start with 3/4 cup)
1 large apple (sweet are best) cored and cut into chunks
1 medjool date (or date of choice) seed removed
1 heaping Tbsp raw almond butter
1 heaping Tbsp raw cacao powder
1 heaping Tbsp hemp seed
1 frozen banana (medium to large) cut into chunks
ice - about 1/2 cup or couple large cubes

Put all ingredients in order into your vitamix/blender.  I start with 3/4 cup water as sometimes the consistency changes due to the size of fruit, etc.  Blend and add a little water at a time, if needed, until a smooth and creamy consistency is achieved.  In the vitamix this takes about 30-45 seconds.  Pour into a very tall glass and enjoy.  Unless you want to share (ha!).

Slurp!

This delicious, quick and easy chocolate fix is healthy and oh so yummy!  In fact, it's hard to not gulp the whole thing down at once, but try hard to drink it slowly and enjoy!

Peace,
Raw Rocki

The Sun - My Friend and Enemy

Make sure to wear sunblock during sun exposure - on all exposed skin

I love the sun. I love the feeling of it on my face, on my back, my skin.  I love swimming in my pool, the beach, the lake.  I love opening my blinds and having the sunshine come through my windows.  Simply put, the sun makes me happy, even though it is my enemy.

Hey...wait a minute here.  I do believe that I was photobomb by Little Diane's waving hand.  More on her in another post.

Years ago I used to layout in the sun to tan my white body.  I know shame on me.  I didn't want that overly tan look, I just wanted a little color.  Sometimes I wore sunblock and other times not.  I don't even know why I bothered trying to tan, it never lasted.  I take after my dad in many ways and one is his white on white skin.  I wish I knew then what I know now.

Melanoma scar

It was a little more than 5 1/2 years ago when I was diagnosed with Melanoma on my left arm and that is what started my skin cancer adventure, as I call it.

After having the suspicious mole removed by punch and stitch, I received a call from the doctors office a few days later with the news that I had melanoma and that there were no clean margins.  I had no idea what that meant, but I sure knew what melanoma was. In short, it meant that the area removed was entirely cancer (no clean margins).  So I had to go right back to the doctors office to have more removed.  I was like, wait a minute here.  I still have stitches and it's not even healed!  I had so many questions.  Anyway, they explained it all to me and that the doc had to actually cut more out of my arm.  Um...excuse me, "cut"?  No worries they said, my arm would be numb and I wouldn't feel a thing.

To sum that part up, they had to remove a lot more.  As you can sort of see in the photo above, I have a 1 1/2" x 1" scar, which is concave.  It was nasty looking, but not near as bad now. For years it looked like somebody took a big bite out of my arm.

Wear hats to cover your head, face, ears and neck while in the sun

When you're diagnosed with Melanoma you have to go in for head to toe skin checks every 6 months for the next 5 years, which they say is the survival rate.  After the 5 year mark and if all is good, you then go in once a year for the rest of your life.  I was so looking forward to that day.  But, for now that is not the case with me.

On every single one of my 6 month checks, I've had at least one to multiple suspicious moles removed...on each visit.  They were removed by punch and stitch.  I tell ya, some days I feel like Swiss cheese.  And, on each of those visits I've had at least 1 come back precancer melanoma.  That does not mean benign.  Benign is simply that - no detection of cancerous cells.  Precancerous melanoma is when the cells have the makings of cancer, but hasn't gone there yet.

My latest check was in May and I had 2 more moles punched and stitched (one was right next to a previous precancer, which came back precancer as well), plus a new skin cancer on my finger that I thought was just a sore that didn't want to heal for the past several months and 2 new spots on my nose that were Actinic Keratosis (can develop into Squamous Cell Carcinoma) - those were removed by freezing them with liquid nitrogen.  THAT stung! 

Because I continue to have precancerous melanoma moles past my 5 year mark, etc., I have to continue the 6 month checks until I get 2 separate clean visits.  This is fine because at least they are being found and removed.  My doc (I love her to pieces!) always tells me that I'm such trooper and is happy that I don't mind scars.  Let me tell you, I have plenty in various sizes and shapes. 

As with my breast cancer, I'm sharing this information with you all in hopes of providing some help or as an eye opener.  I hope that it makes you NOT want to lay out in the sun to tan (leather is ugly).  I hope it makes you wear good sunblock whenever you are out in the sun, even if you think you're only going to be out there for a little bit (trust me, I know this one).  I hope that you wear protective clothing and hats during sun exposure (I hate wearing hats, but...).  I hope that if you notice a suspicious mole or sore on your skin that doesn't heal, that you call a Dermatologist to get it checked and not wait because you think it's just nothing. 

Not sure what a suspicious mole is?  Learn the ABCDE's of Skin Cancer: Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter and Elevation/Evolving and use it as a guide.  Let me say here that not all suspicious moles are cancerous and on the flip side, moles that don't exactly meet the requirements can be early stages.  I've had a variety of all the above.  Need I say more?

Yes, I still love the sun, I love my pool and enjoy being outdoors.  I'm just a lot smarter about it than I was in the past.

Peace and love,
Rocki

Raw Vegan Pizza Snack Bites, Oh My!

I do believe this is the quickest blog post I've ever done... and it's all because of these amazing, delicious, out of this world "pizza" bites!  Quick as in I made these about an hour ago and couldn't wait to blog about them.

And where did I find this RAWsome vegan recipe?  You guessed it.  Pinterest.

I wanted something a little light, but substantial at the same time to go with our usual veggie loaded salad tonight.  Then I remembered the pizza bites.  So I headed over to my Pinterest boards, grabbed the recipe, checked the ingredients (check) and off I went to the kitchen to make these little guys.

After I made them and took off the food processor top, I about fell over with excitement!  Wow, they smelled JUST like pizza!  Okay.  Calm down.  I had to control myself.  I then reached in, grabbed a bite size amount, popped it into my mouth and...well, I either stepped on a little piggy or I actually squealed...out loud.  Holy Moly Batman...these are so going to be gone by the time Mark gets home.  Kidding.  Maybe.

Below is the recipe as is that I got from VeggieNook's blog.  I followed it exactly except didn't soak and dehydrate this go around, plus I added a couple more items to mine (as she said: endless possibilities).  I also made a double batch, which actually gave me 20 nice size bites, but as you can see in the pic above 2 are missing.  I have no idea where they went.

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From VeggieNook:
Raw Pizza Snack Bites (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Raw)
Makes ~8 bites, but easily doubled.

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (soaked and dehydrated is possible)
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds (or more sunflower seeds)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes (try and use ones without sulphites)
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• pinch sea salt
• pinch red pepper flakes

First process the sunflower seeds and hemp seeds in a food processor until finely ground. Add everything else except the water and process until everything is sticking together. Add the water if needed to help it stick.

Roll into little balls and either store immediately in the refrigerator or dehydrate at 105°F for 4 hours. Try one warm from the dehydrator is you have one!
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Trust me, you need to make these and you'll be surprised how much this tastes like a cheese pizza!  They are definitely delicious right out of the bowl, but I'm going to put a few in the dehydrator and serve the rest cold tonight as I want to taste the difference.

I text Mark the pics and told him how awesome they were.  He told me to save him at least ONE.  I'll try.

Back to work for me.

Peace n Luv,
Rocki

Rock Garden Flowers and Buddha

Buddha

We have a variety of Buddha statues in and around our home.  No, they are not art collections or expensive pieces.  Buddhism is our way of life.  Having Buddha throughout our home brings us peace and sends compassionate blessings to all that see him. 

You can find simple yet beautiful Buddha's in our home made of wood, stone, paper, ceramic, cloth, etc.  We don't need fancy or expensive - anything.  However, my son Jason did buy me a very nice Buddha several years ago that is gold plated with mantras inside.  It has very special meaning to me.

Whenever I see a Buddha for sale I always check it out.  That is how I came across our newest Buddha, who looks like he was made for our pool fountain!

Buddha on our rock fountain



Buddha now blesses us while we swim, as well as all the birds and creatures that visit our back yard.  Oh and our back yard looks quite barren right now.  Believe it or not, Arizona does get cold during our "winter" months.  Like this past one where we hit several days in a row of freezing temps - as in the mid to upper 20's and low 30's, which toasted just about all of our plants.  We look forward to when they start to regrow so we have a variety of color again back there.




Cactus lily flower blossoms!

This is my little rock garden wok out front.  I planted the cactus last year and only had a couple blossoms then.  About the past week or so I noticed all the little buds on it.  Every day I waited for them to grow and pop open.  And they did just the other day - so beautiful!



Beautiful cactus blossoms

Simple things make me smile. 

Whether it is a blooming cactus displaying gorgeous flowers, or Buddha sitting on our rock fountain.

Hope you have a buddhaful day!
Peace,
Rocki

Full Circle

Life has a funny way of teaching you things in a variety of ways.  For instance, from the time I was a young girl all I wanted was big boobs.  Why?  Maybe it's because society always portrays women as more attractive with big boobs, or boobs period.  I don't really remember why at such a young age I felt like that, but I always had negative body image issues.  

One day while playing cards with my family, my uncle asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I told him "big boobs!" He and everyone else belly laughed so hard it made me cry.  I believe I was around 10 years old then.  I'm sure you're surprised too, but I did not wake up Christmas morning with big boobs.

During my teen years on up, I was teased with the name "Flatsy Patsy", both at school and home.  I hated it, but didn't speak out about it - just sucked it up and laughed with them.  I actually blamed my sister for me being so flat.  Even though I'm much older than her, I told her she got what I should have had and then some!  We called her "Dolly Parton" for good reason, until she got a breast reduction.  Apparently big boobs are a pain, but I still wanted them.

After having my boys and getting older I got a little bigger, but not like what I wanted.  I SO wished I could afford to have a boob job.  It seemed like every magazine I looked at there was a perfect model figure with big boobs staring at me.  Oh and don't even get me started on bathing suit models! 

Years go by and I still felt the same.  I used to tell Mark if we ever won the lottery that I was getting a boob job.  He would always tell me that I was perfect as is, would love me even if I had nothing, and that I didn't need to have surgery to change the person I was (gosh I love him to pieces!).  Even though I appreciated that, I hated my body and I dreamed of looking different.

So then last year I was hit with breast cancer and boy did that change things.  Puts a whole new perspective on what's important in life.  I'll skip everything else about that part as this post is about me wanting big boobs.  Like, FOREVER! 

A bilateral total mastectomy was immediately scheduled.  Back up... prior to the biopsy diagnosis, besides researching what we could online, Mark and I discussed every itty bitty detail about what was going to happen.  Even though the doc talked to me about it, there was not a single moment that I even considered breast reconstruction, for a variety of reasons.  Mark didn't want it done either and was happy with my decision.  I love that man!

Funny.  All those years of wanting and wishing for bigger boobs, life, in a mean way, gave me an opportunity (for lack of better wording).  I didn't take it.  I didn't want it.  I'm truly happy with my decision and have honestly never looked back.

Rocki - the new and improved Flatsy Patsy!

So here I am today.  Full circle.  Back to being flat as a board (flatter actually) and you know what?  I am happy being me in my own skin. I don't need boobs to define me as a woman.  It's who I am inside that portrays who I am on the outside.  I am more confident and adventurous now than I have ever been in my entire life!  I wear what I want, do not hide from the world and, respectfully, I don't care what people think.  It is my body, not theirs.

Even though I used to want big boobs, I've always HATED bras and only wore them when I had to.  Now I don't have to mess with them ever again.  Oddly enough, I feel free to be me.  That's one of the many things breast cancer has taught me.

While this was my decision, I understand that not all women feel the same and that is obviously okay.  Every woman has the right to choose what is best for her, no matter what it is, and I salute them.

Peace and love,
Rocki