This is so cool, can you believe it?  We won the 2013 Best of Raw for an On-line Blog! Wheeeeeee.  So here is a special send out and thank you to each and every of you who voted for us.   I so love the community that has grown up around my site over the years. :)  It has really blossomed into something that I really can’t wrap my head around.  :)

I don’t know if you have any idea what it means to me to surrounded by such supportive and like-minded people.  YOU are the fuel that feeds my passion, and for that, I am so grateful (and so is Bob’s full belly haha).

Just for fun here are some facts about NouveauRaw. Did you know…

NouveauRaw was formed in 2008 mostly as a place for me to organize my recipes, and to share them with friends and family.

We now have 4,668 subscribers!

It has been viewed in 144 countries.

I have posted 879 recipes! OMG!

Last month we had 527,648 page views.

And 48,000 unique (different) visitors.

All I can say is WOW… it humbles me to think that as I scamper around my little kitchen, dropping spatulas covered with sticky almond butter on the floor, getting key lime pie batter spattered in my face, dropping measuring spoons in my running food processor, or watching a tray of kale chips tumble to the floor as I carry them to the dehydrator…. And while all that is going on, I have my extend raw family sneaking peeks at my creations.  How amazing is that?!

Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.

Amie Sue

Last week I  sent out an email where you could go to vote for your favorite raw food site.  After countless comments and private emails, I realized that the voting process was way to difficult.  I sent “Best of Raw” an email explaining the issue.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one because today I received an email from them…

“We’ve heard from many of you about our new voting technology, and we’ve been listening to the feedback from the community of folks who have begun voting at this year’s Best of Raw Online Awards!  Many of you have mentioned that the log-in interface was difficult to use and faulty. We therefore removed the Facebook and regular login function altogether.  It is now much simpler for people to vote with only a single requirement for voters to enter their email address without having to set up an account or use Facebook, so that we can keep the voting “real,” ie, one vote per person.”

Yay!  How wonderful that they fixed it, making the process easier.  If you are still interested in voting, click the button below please visit their site and cast your vote.  You will need to select “online blog” on their site and then scroll down to find Nouveau Raw.

Many blessings and have a wonderful day. amie sue

1/20/13 Update… It seems people are still have problems finding me so they can vote. I took step by step screen shots to help….

OR

This year I was nominated for The Best of Raw Awards, if you want to go and vote for me, please do.  Even if you don’t vote for me, be sure to check out the other raw sites that were nominated. I am sure that you will find some great resources!

To vote, visit the following link and it will take you to the voting page, or just click on the button below,  BestofRawFoods.com. It takes a second or two for the their page to fully load.  Once it does, click on the “online blog” category,  then scroll down a bit and look for my picture.  I realized when I had to fill out their form that Nouveau Raw doesn’t have a logo!  Tisk, risk.  I need to work on that. :)

The creator and founder of Best of Raw, Laura Fox, says, “We have created the Best of Raw Awards to honor and celebrate those who are educating humanity about adding more raw organic plant foods to the diet to increase health, decrease our eco-footprint and raise our spirits”.

The winners of the Best of Raw Awards are going to be announced at the Raw Living Expo.

I appreciate your vote and your time.  Many blessings, Amie Sue

Good morning everyone!  This is just a quick note to let you know that Nouveau Raw is under going a few changes at the moment.  We have upgraded the site  making it more user-friendly for mobile devices.   Along with changes, comes a few bugs.  So, please, if you notice anything strange or see things that you feel could be improved… make a comment on this post and we will do everything we can to fix it.  Have a wonderful weekend! amie sue

I wanted to take a moment during this busy time of year, sit down, and share with of you what a blessing this site has become for me.  I originally started Nouveau Raw back in 2008 as a way to keep my own personal recipes organized and for my friends and family. Little did I know back then that my “friends” would expand to over 3,000 of you and reach all corners of the globe!

My passion for healthy foods continues to grow stronger and stronger with each recipe I create. And to have all of you to share them with just blesses me beyond measure.   Every morning I wake up, kiss my husband, then snuggle on the couch as we share a cup of coffee.  Then as all my faculties begin to come into focus, I open up my computer and browse through my emails.  And much to my delight, everyday, I find messages from so many of you.  I am so thankful, you inspire me, encourage me, challenge me and bring great joy to my heart.  I never knew that starting this site would have such an impact on me.  Thank you all so much, I am deeply humbled.

I know many of you love to give homemade Christmas gifts and this is a time of year when we are invited to potlucks, dinner parties, cookie exchanges, office parties, and so forth. I am not sure if you have checked out my eBook, but it contains step by step instructions  with photos to help you create beautiful edible art in the form of veggie bouquets.  A show stopper for sure!  It will help you put a whole new spin on bringing the “typical” veggie tray and become the star of any party!  As my gift to you, my loyal readers, I am offering a special holiday, 50% off, discount on my eBook.  You can purchase it from now till December 31st, 2012 for only $3.99.  This would also make a wonderful gift for someone special in your life as well.  In case you haven’t seen a picture of what you can create out pure veggies, see the photo below.  If that isn’t inspirational, I don’t know what is.  :)  Many blessings and happy holidays!  Amie Sue

To purchase the Edible Veggie Ebook, click on the photo below.  It will direct you to the order page.  Be sure to type in the discount code, “edible art”.  If you don’t put the code in, you won’t get the discount.  This will drop the price from $7.99 to $3.99.  Enjoy!

Yes it’s true… I have been wrapped up with making fruit leather these days, weeks, oh my gosh, has it even turned into a month?!  I shudder at the thought.   I wake up in the morning and my little feet hit the floor and pitter-patter down the hallway, making my way to the kitchen, for in the midst of my dreams I have come up with yet again, another recipe to test… I am not sure what bug bit me, but it gave me a fever for creating gourmet fruit leathers.

As I stand at the island in my kitchen, most of the cabinet doors are open, the draws are ajar, and the counters and sinks are full of dirty dishes.  Shoot I am beginning to think that dishes are just meant to be dirty all time and having them clean in the cabinet is just a sheer crime!  I usually have at least four recipes going at once.  It isn’t uncommon to find the water running, (filling the sink for dishes), the Blendtec whirling with some beautiful puree in it, all the while I hustle and bustle about looking for a dry dishcloth, which is usually always hanging from my pants pocket.  Logic defies me during these moments.  A photo shoot is sitting in the corner waiting for my attention,  and my printer is chiming in the background telling me that I have run out of paper for the labels that I am creating.  Fruit juice is in my hair (note to self:  always put blender lid on before pushing “on”) causing strands of it to stick to my cheek which constantly makes it feel as though there’s a bug on me.  lol   My husband walks by, plants a kiss on my head, (which is a strategic plan to distract me as he snags a sample) and gracefully walks away shaking his head, laughing and telling me that I am crazy.    Perhaps I am, but I am ok with that.   All current fruit leather recipes  are listed below, just in case you want to skip all the following girl talk.

Part of my inspiration comes from my surroundings, here at Oldfather Farms.  The lush fruit season sends my mind into a tizzy of joy and wonder.  It all started with the fruit bearing season of Bing and Rainier Cherries.  After we sent the bulk of the ripe cherries to the packing house,  I was left with over 100 lbs worth to process personally.  My fingers were stained reddish/purple for about three weeks and my hands looked like those of a mechanic who works in grease all day. But I was proud of them and eventually stopped stuffing them into my pockets whenever I went out in public. :) I was determined to NOT let a single cherry go bad on me so, I picked them, froze them, dehydrated them, made smoothies with them, made jams, ice creams,  and  fruit leathers galore.  I even think I swallowed a cherry pit when my pitter malfunctioned and shot one into the air and into my mouth!  Will a cherry tree grow out of my belly button come Spring?  My Great Grandmother always told me that watermelons were going to sprout out of there because I always ate the seeds.  I am still waiting on that.

I had dehydrator trays all over my kitchen, fruit leathers had invaded and taken control.  My brain was constantly interrupting itself.  The chatter went something like this: “I could try…oh wait, what would tarragon taste like paired with, oh oh, bananas, I could combine bananas and …. wait…. a bright shiny object!”  I kid you not, there was a tornado of ideas going through my mind so quickly that I almost called for an emergency broadcast (this was not a test)!  It was exhausting as my body tried to keep up with my mind.  I would no sooner wash the counter load of dishes when another creation would hit me and the process would start over.  There was no end to my madness so I caved into it.  The Borg where right on Star Trek, resistance is and was… futile.

It wasn’t just creating the recipes that kept me busy. I then had to package and design labels for all of them.  Right now my stand-alone freezer is chuck full of raw treats and it brings me such joy, and to my non-stop grazing husband. hehe We keep the freezer in the garage and my husband is always in it, pulling out raw treats and sharing them with everyone who comes over;  guests, orchard workers, the neighbors horses,  the electricians, you name it.  Today, a crew of five workers who are removing poison oak from our land, got Banana and Strawberry Dixie Pops.  Nothing more masculine than seeing a hard-working men walk around with Dixie Pops. lol

Still covered in every fruit puree possible… pear harvest hit… well for Bartlett’s anyway, the Bosc are still on the branches right now.  And trust me those branches are hanging low with the weight of the fruit on them.  Occasionally I go out there and lift up a branch or two, hoping to give the trunk of the tree some relief.  A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!   The day of harvest came and it was a glorious day outside, the weather was perfect as it hovered around the mid seventies, the sun was high but there was a slight breeze in the air to keep it from beating down to harshly.   The orchard pickers reminded me of stealth ninjas,  one minute they were in front of you, the next minute they had disappeared into the trees only leaving a ghostly trail of dust that proved that they were once there.

The rumbling of trucks and four-wheelers kept a steady hum as the workers continued well into the late afternoon.  There were bins and barrels of pears peppered around the land. Ladders clanked and squeaked as they stripped each tree clean of its bounty.  Then faintly, if the wind caught their words just right,  you would hear a cadence of orders being commanded, a friendly chatter between workers and occasionally a melody of song would whisper through the air.   They were working hard but they seemed happy.  Which made me happy.  I sit here with a smile on my face as I look at the photo to the left here… You can’t quite see the huge grin on Bob’s face but he too was in heaven.  Here is giving the pears a bit of loving before they got shipped off.  So, keep in mind, if you buy a pear and it tastes amazing… it could be from Oldfather Farms… infused with love!  :)

Oh, and did I mention that there was a Mexican food truck parked in the middle of the orchard?!  Oh gosh, how could I forget that.  This topped it all!  A local restaurant sent out one of their food trucks to feed the workers.  What an odd, yet wonderful and tasty delight that was!  I posted a picture below of Gina and Bob enjoying a Mexican feast.  Boy, was the food amazing!  Here is a shout out to Taqueria Los Amigos!

No sooner did the pears start to ripen, then so did our little peach trees. (and they still are)   Cherries, pears and now peaches!  How is one to keep up?!  (wipes brow and carries a grin stretched from one ear to the other)  So, daily I head out and touch the pears, seeing if they are ready for picking.  Ok, ok, I talk to them too, really, there’s no need for a straightjacket.  Really.

But wait, there’s more!  (I feel like a Ginsue knife commercial)  Blackberries!!  Take me now lord, for I am in heaven! lol  We must have at least a hundred feet of wild, thorned, blackberries within our property lines and trust me, I have picked buckets full.  But I have come to realize that I realistically can’t keep up with them, so I am going to share some with the birds.  :)  Below, I am picking away while Bob is rejoicing in the background.  I do love that man.

So, as I already said, I have been making oodles of fruit leathers and I wanted to share all the recipes with you that I have been creating but I was concerned about releasing them individually and overloading you with emails so I decided to do one grand-puba post and include links to the fruit leather recipes that I have released so far.  I have developed, prepared and tested over 40 new recipes.  Most have been an instant hit but I have one right now as I type this that has given me some challenges.  I am on the 3rd attempt of that recipe trying to perfect it.  But that’s ok too because the mess ups didn’t end up in the trash,  they actually gave me a whole new idea and now I am off in a new direction.  I will share more later … 

So without further ado… in no particular order… I would like to present to you…

Sweet and Sour Green Apple Chubbies Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Plum-Berry Balsamic and Pink Peppercorn Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Kidding Around Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Tres Fig Balsamic Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Chocolate Banana  Personal “Pizza” Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Chocolate covered Blueberry Leather Lollipops ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Sassy Raspberry Banana Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Golden and Ruby Plum Pinwheel Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Blackberry Banana Lavender Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Orange Julius Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

Balsamic Banana-Berry Fruit Leather ~ Gourmet Edition ~

They freeze beautifully too!

OH and one last thing that I wanted to share with you.  Bless my husbands heart,  he sees all the work that I put into these creations, the amount of time I spend on them and he wanted to do something special for me,  he wanted to find a way to make my life easier….so he bought me a new washing machine…

Isn’t he just amazing?! lol

I hope you don’t mind but I want to share yet another passion of mine with you … arts & crafts.  I am equally as passionate for interior design as I am about creating healthy foods.  I am not to sure what my style is; Tuscan, sophisticated flea-market, farmhouse, rustic (but not to rustic), vintage… hmm, I guess when you boil it all down, I’m rather eclectic.  My main goal is to create a home that is warm and welcoming.  One that says, “Come on in!  Grab a drink out of the fridge (raw treat if so inclined) and kick your feet up on the coffee table as we relax together.”  As much as I love vintage and antiques, it is not always easy to find exactly what I have envisioned, so when that happens, I do my dandiest to make it myself!  So I thought I would share with you a project that I did today.  I hope it inspires you as well!  Today’s project started in the kitchen with the wax paper, then I moved to my craft room for the printer and creation, then to the garage for staining, then back to the kitchen for decorating.  I made a full circle. :)  My objective today… vintage cutting boards! Or as close to them as I could get with the supplies on hand.

This is what you will need:

• Computer and graphics
• Printer (ink-jet only)
• Card stock paper (1 sheet)
• Wax paper
• Adhesive spray
• Spatula or credit card (don’t worry, we won’t be charging anything on it haha)
• Cutting board
• Stain

This is what I did.

And this is how I did it!…

The bottom two cutting boards were purchased at Home Goods for $4.99 each.  The top cutting board was in my cabinet.  The black stand is a file holder that I got for $3.99.  This will be used in my end display.  Notice that all the cutting boards have different grains and colors in the wood.  That will help the grouping look like it was collected over time and not all  bought at the same time.  I hope that makes sense. :)

I selected the graphics that I wanted to use and then printed them out on plain paper for a trial run.  I wanted to make sure that the sizing was right and that I would like the over-all look.

I don’t have exact step by step pictures.  You have move somewhat quick and carefully for the next process and I couldn’t juggle my Iphone camera at the same time.  So, let me explain what I did next.

1. I took my card stock paper (the kind you use with card making or scrap booking) and sprayed lightly, a strip across the top and bottom of the paper.  Hint: you can use the same piece of card stock over and over, just need to reapply the spray adhesive each time.
2. I placed a piece of wax paper on the card stock and smoothed it out.  Make sure the waxy side is facing out.  Trim the excess wax paper that is hanging over the edges.
3. Place this in the printer.  I faced my sheet wax paper side down because that is how my printer draws it up.  I want to print on the wax paper.  If you have any print on your image you want to “mirror” it before printing, otherwise it will be backwards.
4. After it prints, carefully peel the wax paper off of the card stock.  Be careful because the ink is wet and will smear.
5. Gently place the wax paper, ink side down, onto your cutting board and press down.  DO NOT move the wax paper as it will smear.  Using your spatula or credit card, be steady and firmly press the image into the cutting board.  If your wood has any grooves in it or is pitted, it will leave voids.  That’s ok, it will give it that aged appearance.  After running over the complete image, carefully remove the wax paper.  Ta-da!  Again, it doesn’t look “perfect” but I don’t want it to anyway.  I want it to look worn.

The cutting board below is longer than a standard piece of paper so I had to do the image on 2 pieces of paper.

After all my transfers were complete, it was time to head out to the garage.  The 2 cutting boards that I had bought still looked a tad to new for my over-all aged look so I took a piece of chain and gave them a good spanking.   I then stained the boards.  I used Special Walnut as my color of choice.  Each piece took on a different color due to the wood it was made from.  The stain helps to marry the image and wood, giving it that vintage look.  I took a few snap shots just to show the difference the stain made in the wood color.

You could vanish it as the last step but I didn’t.  Here is the end product.

This is how I displayed them on my kitchen island.  It’s hard to see the top 2 cutting board graphics due to the camera angle.

Well, that about sums it up.  This was first time doing this on cutting boards and I tell ya what… I will be looking for used boards at second hand stores from now on!  The more banged up and used, the better. haha  Right now, my decorating fetishes are:

Old cutting boards

Antique rolling pins

Vintage crates

Antique wooden shutters

Antique salt and pepper shakers

and anything else that strikes my fancy! lol

What are you passionate about?  I would love for you to share!

Many blessings, amie sue

It was my plan to take all these amazing pictures of us picking apples but it just didn’t happen.  I was too busy eating picking apples to take any pictures.  Though we had a great time, I will admit it felt a bit odd picking apples in an orchard that was surrounded by desert.  haha  Never seen such a goofy site before.  It was an organic orchard that just reopened after 4 years of struggling with their crops.  The apples were so small, about the size of a plum but none the less they were fun to snatch out of the branches.   The orchard had a herd of lambs that roamed up and down the paths so I stayed busy trying to keep out of their way and in the meantime I was also dodging these HUGE red bugs that were dive bombing me.  I swear they were the Protectors of the Apples!  I couldn’t tell what the heck they were but then I wasn’t going to stick around to examine them either. :)  I am sure the farmers watching from afar thought that I was running around in great enthusiasm in picking apples, little did they know that I was being chased by winged creatures!

In the end we picked about 80 lbs of apples!  It was a good 1 1/2 hour drive to this orchard and we were very excited by this new adventure.  We had already experienced cherry picking and cranberry bogging together and now I was able to scratch apple picking off the bucket list!  We were excited to pick them once we got there.  We were excited to load them in the truck.  We were excited to drive home.  We were excited to see 80 lbs of apples sitting on our kitchen counter….I was excited to “process them”.  After slicing the 276th one, I wasn’t all that excited. lol  I am sort of kidding, I did actually have fun processing them.  It took me 4 days straight to tend to them all!  I dried 41 trays worth in the dehydrator.  Can we say, Christmas gifts?”   You will notice in the pictures below that I played around a bit with shapes and sizes.

I was getting down to the end of apples, growing a little weak in the wrist from slicing them all, so I decided to make apple butter with the last 11 1/2 lbs.  I sort of felt bad, like I was searching for an easy way out, but soon that feeling of guilt faded.  Peeling 11 1/2 lbs of itsy bitsy apples made apple slicing look a whole lot better. lol I managed to keep all my fingernails and skin intact.  I forced all the apple butter into jars and stood back, gazing upon them with great pride.  Look at all that luscious apple butter?!  Then I it hit me, what the heck am I going to do with it all?!  I didn’t can the apple butter so that meant it had a much shorter self life date.  So I slapped a few labels on the jars and took them all to the office where I pawned them off to everyone who crossed my path.  Problem solved. :)  I love sharing food anyway so it was a win for all involved.  So, that wraps up this adventure!

Types of Apples

• Arkansas Black – Arkansas Black apples are mostly used for cooking. It is used as one of the ingredients in sauerkraut recipes. This variety of apple has a firm texture and a sour taste.
• Braeburn – This variety of apple is available anytime between October and July.  The skin color of a Braeburn apple is reddish-orange with shades of yellow.  This variety is usually used for making salad, applesauce, and pies. These apples can be frozen for later consumption.
• Cameo – Though the Cameo apples are harvested in the month of September, it is available in the market only between October and August.  This variety is identified by the white spots on the red skin.  Cameo apples are used in various desserts such as apple crumble or apple crisp and many more.  It is also used to make salads, sauces and pies.  Cameo apples can be frozen.
• Cortland – Cortland apples are available almost throughout the year.  The only time it is not available in the market is during the months of January, March and April. This variety of apple is sweet and the skin color is red spread over a yellowish-green skin.  It is used for baking and freezing.  It would make a good snack after a meal.
• Empire – Empire apples are available throughout the year.  It has a sweet and a sour taste.  The skin color of this apple is a combination of red and green.  You can freeze this variety of apples for future consumption.
• Fuji – Fuji apples have reddish-pink skin.  This variety belongs to Japan and was introduced in the US in the 1980s.  This variety makes a good snack after a heavy meal.  It tastes good in salads, pies and sauces.  Fuji apples have longer shelf life without refrigeration.  This is available from August to October.
• Gala – This variety of apples is available from September to May.  Though it is not good for freezing, it can be used for baking and apple pies.  Gala apples have pinkish stripes on yellow skin.  This variety of apples is very sweet.
• Ginger Gold – This variety of apples have a sweet-sour taste.  Ginger Gold apples are available from August to November.  Apple pies and sauces could be made from this variety. However, it is not good for freezing.  The skin color of a Ginger Gold apple is yellow.
• Golden Delicious – As the name suggests, this variety is not only sweet and delicious but also golden yellow in color.  It is used to make jams, salads, pies and sweet sauces. Golden Delicious apples are good for freezing too. This variety is available throughout the year.
• Granny Smith – The skin color of this apple is green and it is very sour. It is available throughout the year. It can be frozen for later consumption. You can make pies and sauces with this variety.
• Honeycrisp – This is a new variety of apples, which was introduced in the early ’90s. The skin color of a Honeycrisp apple is a combination of red and yellow.  It is used for baking and making salads and sauce.  It does not taste good in pies.  This variety can be frozen.
• Idared – Idared apples are available throughout the year.  The skin color of an Idared apple is pink.  This variety has a sweet and sour taste.  Idared apples can be used for baking and freezing. It is used for making pies and sauces.
• Jonagold – Jonagold apples are a hybrid variety of the Jonathan and the Golden Delicious apple. This variety is mostly used for making sweet-sour sauces, pies and salads.  You can freeze Jonagold apples for future consumption.  Jonagold apples are available between October and May.
• Jonathan – This variety has a shade of red and green skin color, and the taste is sour. Jonathan apples can be frozen. It is widely used in salads and sauces.
• McIntosh – This variety of apple makes an excellent snack.  You can make pies and sauces with McIntosh apples.  However, these are not good for baking or freezing.  The skin color of this apple is a blend of red and green.  It tastes sweet with a tinge of sourness.
• Red Delicious – The skin color of this variety of apple is red and it has a very sweet taste.  This apple is good for making jams and would make a good dessert after a heavy meal. These apples are available in the market throughout the year.
• Rome Beauty – This variety of apples are commonly used in baking.  The skin color of this apple is crimson red and it is mildly sour.  It is mostly used in salads and pies.  It can be frozen too.
• Winesap – Winesap apples are not good to eat raw and mostly used for making apple cider.  This variety of apples is sour and has the flavor of a seasoned wine.  The skin color of this apple is deep red.
• Do you know an apple tree can live for more than hundred years?  There are many interesting facts about apples, which include the nutritional and health benefits.  Apples are used in a number of food recipes including sauces, pies and cider.

It’s that time of year again!  Can you hear the school bell ringing? 

Lately there has been is a lot of buzz about the lack of nutrition available to kids in school.  The good news is authorities are beginning to recognize the importance of healthier lunch options, and are making efforts to improve cafeteria food.  But these changes are perhaps moving at a slower pace than one would wish.  School vending machines and cafeteria lunches have long been blamed as one of the major causes of childhood obesity.  And although it’s great that some schools are making improvements, they still have a long way to go.  Even the schools that serve healthier options may still sell sugary sports drinks and most schools have not even begun to remove junk food from vending machines.

Children’s appetites and nutritional needs vary by developmental stage, and inadequate nutrition at any of these stages can negatively influence academic performance, behavior and energy levels.   But we can’t fully rely on the school system, teaching kids proper eating habits, like so many things begins at home.

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Take a Saturday and spend some quality time in the kitchen with your kids!  Have them help you make healthy recipes that they can pack in their backpacks for school and/or for after-school snacks.   Making them a part of this will bring much more excitement when they open their lunch pails and pull out treats that they helped to make!  Kids love to take pride in the things they help create.  Not to mention that you will be planting nutritious seeds within them for years to come.

Breakfast Ideas:

Walnut Banana Bread Granola (can double as a snack food for their lunch)

Cinnamon Raisin Granola / Cereal  (can double as a snack food for their lunch)

Banana Mango Pudding

Morning Burst Porridge

Snacks for lunch:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Chocolate Apple Chunk Cookies

Cheese Nip Crackers

Cheesy Kale Chips

Chocolate Coconut Kale Chips

Touchdown Spicy Cheese Dip (send with veggie sticks for dipping)

Above I listed  just a few ideas that you can make!  There are so many other options, be creative!

Before you know it will be time for “Parent Teacher Conferences”…. when that time comes,

leave that apple at home and make their teacher a gift that he/she won’t forget…

Edible Veggie Bouquet!

I want to share some exciting news with all of you.  Today, we released a very special eBook called “Make your own Edible Veggie Bouquet”.   After months of designing, working on the layout, collecting photos, writing the step-by-step instructions and endless nights of editing…it is done.  I created this eBook to help teach, inspire and encourage you to make you very own veggie masterpieces!

My first bouquet was inspired by my Aunt Nancy, to whom this book is dedicated.  So to you Nancy and to my friends who read and re-read the early versions, supplying us with many great suggestions, a very heartfelt thank you.  I also want to really thank my loving husband who did all of the editing, while learning how to format Documents like this so it can be enjoyed on your computer, iPad, Nook, iPhone, etc.  There were countless hours of behind scenes work that had to take place for this eBook to become a reality.   Bob is the most amazing human that I have ever known and I am blessed to call him my husband, my friend and most of all my partner in life.   :)

You can purchase my eBook by clicking here.

CNN, New York Times, The Daily News, Oprah and Google News have released a front page story…

Read all about it – Nouveauraw.com now has a PRINT BUTTON feature!!!

Ok, so maybe it’s not really an above-the-fold headline or national news but to me it’s pretty darn exciting! haha  Bless my sweet husband and Chris for helping me get this feature up and running.  I am so darn picky.  It had to be perfect!  You all deserved it. :)  So Mom, you can now print all the recipes!  She has been waiting patiently for this feature.  It’s a pretty sweet one too.  At the bottom of each post you will notice where you can click on the “print this recipe” button.  It can be found on the lower right hand corner.  But the neat thing is that you can either print the recipe or you can save it as a PDF.  It doesn’t just stop there either, you can hover over sections of the recipe and delete them if you want to.  Basically, you have control over how you want the recipe to print.  Example: with the picture or without, with my little story or without, and so forth.  But WAIT….there’s more!  ok, not really but I love saying that.  I easily entertain myself, don’t I.

I thought it would neat, if anyone was interested, to print out the recipes and add them to your collection in a binder with plastic sheet protectors.  That way, you can have all your favorite recipes at your finger tips!  I always end up taking my laptop into the kitchen and lord only knows all the food I have to chip off of my screen and how I have splatters of date paste that causes my keyboard buttons to stick.

Many blessings and happy uncooking!  amie sue

This weekend I was on a roll!  Often times when it starts,  I can’t stop it…so I just ran with it. :)  I made so many recipes, far to many to release all at once.  I don’t want to overwhelm you with emails of me in the kitchen.  So I will just list all the up and coming recipes that you can look forward to.

I love days like these though.  It’s like getting into the zone!  But I have to tell you my feet were killing me by the time I finally sat down.  Poor little piggies!  Bless my husbands heart for he sat at the other end of the couch and asked for my feet, where he proceeded on giving them a good healthy rub down.  Aaaah, he is amazing.

I think Bob is well set on treats for now.  The counter top is now loaded for the snack attacks that continually visit him .  So let’s see, what did I make the past two days….

1. Raw Mayonnaise
2. Chocolate Covered Raspberry Almond Cookies
3. Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
4. Chocolate Raspberry Spinners
5. Peanut Butter Raisin Bars
6. C.O.R.E. Flax Crackers
7. Tropical Pineapple Mango Granola
8. Sweet Grain Granola
9. Walnut Banana Bread Granola
10. Radish, Cucumber and Apple Salad
11. Lime & Cilantro Flax Crackers
12. Sting “N” Linger Salsa Flax Crackers
13. Roasted Chili Habanero & Roasted Tomato-Tomatillo Flax Cracker (x-hot)

Hmmm, I think that is it…. Do any of you have crazy days in the kitchen?  If so, I would love to hear about them.  I hope you all had a blessed and relaxing weekend!

Until the next recipe….Amie Sue

Good afternoon everyone,

I wanted to share some exciting news with you.  I am in the completion stage of my revised “Edible Veggie Bouquet” ebook and it will released soon!

I started making these bouquets many years ago and just never grow tired of their beauty!  I was inspired to make the first one for my Aunt Nancy on her birthday.  I will be sharing that story in the ebook so I won’t double dip into it.  There is just sooo much creativity to be found when preparing raw foods, I hope this inspires you!

I don’t know why but I am still shocked how people respond when they hear that I eat a high raw diet.  First it’s “that look”.  I am sure many of you know what I am talking about. :P  Followed by the wrinkled nose and then come the comments on how boring it must be to just eat celery and carrot sticks.  Shesh,  I don’t eat just carrots and celery sticks.  My website would tell you otherwise. haha Besides if carrots and celery came in the form of the above picture…then I say…”Bring them on!”  :)

Have a blessed day, amie sue

As some of you may know or not know…I have been testing different food processors.  Sort of doing a product review to see which one I like best.  I have tried and tested a total of 3 different ones.  The latest one that I really have enjoyed was the Cuisinart 14 cup.  I bought it at Costco with an instant rebate and got it for $124 but today,  I noticed they now have it for $99!  Smoking deal.  It’s a really nice model that can easily keep up with your day-to-day kitchen tasks.  I was all in love, until…..my lovely husband brought me home his BIG brother, not my husbands brother silly, the Cuisinart’s brother!! (the one on the right of the picture, which is actually a commercial unit) I think my husband is trying to tell me that he is enjoying the foods I make for him. haha

I think I could throw my flip flops in there and make “butter” out of them in that big boy!  Shew!  I can’t wait to give it a try.  I have some recipes in mind that usually require me to break the batter into 2 batches due to the quantity of ingredients, but I have complete faith that I will be able to do it all at the same time now.  I will keep you posted. The gifts don’t stop there… Bob and I just returned from a trip to Vegas and San Diego.  While we were in SD he bought me this special gift too….(see picture)

Those are some pretty fancy dish washing gloves! Hmmm, are seeing what I am seeing? ….a heavy duty food processor followed up by dish washing gloves….hmmm, he thinks that he is so sneaky!  haha  I really do have to admit though, these rubber gloves are adorable and I love them.  Pretty high class packaging, all wrapped in tissue paper, for rubber gloves if you ask me. :)  So, I can’t wait to try both of them out.  I want to make a special raw granola for my friend Jami.  We are doing some swapping of services.  She makes these amazing greeting cards that are just gorgeous.  So in exchange for some cards I am making raw food dishes for her.  I can’t beat that now can I.  Check some of these cards out…(if you have time, be sure to check her site out here).  I hope one day, I too will be making cards like these, but first I need to gather some supplies and like any hobby, it is an investment.

This is my first attempt at making one.  I only have a few markers and don’t have the flesh color so you will have to excuse her nakkidness!

For now, I will stick to being creative in the kitchen.  Stay tuned for more recipes!

This picture is NOT a “copyright” of Amie Sue (WP automatically adds that to my pictures)

I just wanted to take a moment to let you all know that we are tinkering with the web-site. We are trying to speed the site up so the load time is less of a burden for you.  If at all possible I would love to know what browser you use and if you notice long load times with the pictures.  I never knew how complex building a site can be! Shew!  I just want to play in the kitchen and share it all with you!  :)  Anyway,  I appreciate your patience and if you notice that the background is continually changing, do know that soon we will have this nailed in.  (I just laughed when I saw the cartoon above, so I had to share it)  This is a learning process. :)  The aesthetics of this site will not effect the flavors or outcome in the recipes! haha

Oof-da!  What a day I had in the kitchen.  I played with chocolate, I wore chocolate, I licked chocolate, I wiped it off the floor, the cell phone, the wall….you name it… all day long!  I started the day started off knowing that I had a simple task at hand.  I just needed to complete my Raw Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake that I was making  for a friend’s dinner party tonight.  I made the cheesecake last night and today I just had to decorate it.  It sounds so simple…that simple project took 5 hours!  Oof-da mira!

I went through 4 batches of chocolate TRYING to get it right.  All’s I had to do was make the chocolate art forms, allow them to harden and then decorate the cake.  Batch #1 – looked gorgeous but it didn’t harden.   That chocolate went into a bowl and out of vision.  I would deal with that later.  Batch #2 – Oooooh fiddle sticks, I didn’t have enough for batch #2.  After several stores  later I found some Raw Cacao Butter.  Ok back to Batch #2 – Instantly it gelled up and then separated.  *throws hands up in the air*  “What in tarnation, I say, What in Tarnation!”  That went in the bowl, I would deal with that later as well.  Batch #3 – new recipe, looked beautiful, I was feeling good about this batch.  I made my forms on the pan and popped them in the freezer.

After my 3rd batch of dish washing, I pulled my chocolate art out of the freezer.  Looking good, it’s firm….I think we have a winner here!  I started placing them.  I needed 12 of them, 1 broke but that’s ok….I made a few extra.  Another broke, still ok, another broke *beads of chocolate are starting to form on my forehead*  ANOTHER broke, now I am in trouble.  I have to make another batch now.  I am not sure what was more disheartening, the fact that I had to use MORE ingredients or the fact that I that I was going to have to do dishes AGAIN.

Batch #4 – Same recipe, different technique…. You don’t mind if I take a quick side note do you?  Great, thanks.  A few years ago my husband and I took a chocolatier course.  It was hard work and I learned to have a great deal of respect for those in that industry.  It is a true art form.  What I am coming to learn now is that the same goes for raw chocolate.  It’s a true art form and takes time and patience to learn it.  The bad part was that I was running short on time and  running short on patience.

As I was buzzing around the kitchen, watching the time slip by, I knew I had to really pick up my pace.  That is when I accidentally hit the edge of the measuring cup holding the Agave syrup.  Oh, you know what is coming now don’t you?!  It was in slow motion as I watched the golden amber colored, silky, shiny, threads of sticky gooyness, sail through the air.  I saw every bounce that the sturdy plastic measuring cup made on the floor.  One bounce – it sprayed the oven, second bounce – it splattered the fridge.  Bounce #3-5 peppered the floor with such force that it decorated the cabinets, my left shoe and left a Cindy Crawford amber colored mole on my left cheek.  Yep, that is JUST what I needed to deal with. lol

So Batch #4 – (after the kitchen hose down) started out beautifully,  it was blending, forming, holding shape…it quickly went into the freezer.  I still had some chocolate left in my piping bag so I tilted my head back and squeezed every last drop into my mouth…NOT, was tempting but I held onto my will power!  It was starting to thicken, time was my enemy…”What to do, what to do with it?”  Chocolate Chips!  Look at my army of yumminess!

I did dishes AGAIN and then took my chocolate art forms out of the freezer.  They looked perfect!  I was so relieved.  I brought the cheesecake back out to complete the job.  I had made six forms.  The first one went on perfect.  The second one broke…gulp.  The last two went on just right.  Shew,  I let out a huge sigh of relief.  I needed a drink!  I walked across the floor (each step made that “sticky theater floor” sound)  I didn’t care, I was done!  I sipped my tea and ate my little bowl of chlorella nuts for a snack.  (you’ll see why I shared that with you soon enough)  I wiped my brow and smiled….so glad that was o….v….e…..rrrrr.  My thoughts fell off the radar as I looked at the cheesecake, ooh no…what was happening??  The first chocolate forms that I had made are falling over as they warmed to room temperature.  Say it isn’t so!!  I didn’t have any extra forms….My heart was crushed.   The more I tried to save them, the more they gave up the ghost.  I looked at the clock, I didn’t have enough time to make Batch #5.  What was I to do?  I was forced to shift gears.  I gently removed all the chocolate and put it in a bowl. lol My collection of chocolate globs was growing but I set it aside, I didn’t have time to deal with it just yet.

I loaded the top of the cake with strawberries.  I had dipped 3 strawberries in chocolate, back when I “thought” I had some extra chocolate to have as a snack a bit later.  No snack for you!  They saved my biscuits and became the center stage of the decor.

Raw Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake

It’s a far cry from what it was suppose to look like, but sometimes things just HAPPEN!

By the time I was done, my feet were sore, my hands were dried out and pruned up from washing so many darn dishes all day and my brain was numb.  I walked past the mirror, stopped to brush the hair out of my eyes and guess what was looking back at me?  A face with that Cindy Crawford golden agave mole on my cheek, a smear of chocolate on my forehead,  3 chocolate dots that splattered me at some point, a dab of chocolate on my chin and a ring of green all my lips from chewing up those chlorella nuts. lol  I was a site for sore eyes.  I almost took a self portrait picture for you of it but I didn’t have the energy.

I apologize for having such a winded post here, it appears I had a lot to say about my adventure today and needed to vent it out.  Before I hit the send button, some of you may be asking what I did I do with all that chocolate that went south on me.  Well, this is what I did.  Back in March I had made some Chocolate Banana Wraps.  I had them sealed up really well and they are still wonderful tasting to this very day.  So I look the wrap and laid it out.

I then took all the chocolate and placed it in the food processor.  I added raw oats, 1 tsp salt and about 1 cup of raw almond butter.  Oh yum!  I then took the batter and spread it out on the chocolate wrap.

Then proceeded to roll it up.

I wrapped it in plastic and chilled it in the fridge. When chilled and firm,  I sliced them into pinwheels.  You can decorate these however you wish.  They are soooo yummy!

So once again, no ingredients went into the compost pile!  I love raw foods!  You can have your “cake and eat too!” when you incorporate healthy desserts into your raw food diet.

So, that was my day…. have you ever had a day like this?