Decandence for around a dollar

A few weeks ago I discovered young coconuts, an absolutely decadent treat that had been under my nose all along! Young coconuts are available in the DC area at Whole Foods, for just $2.50 each.

Here are some of my favorite uses so far. The best part is, just one coconut will yield all three!

Coconut Water: Coconut water is slightly sweet, deliriously fragrant and full of nutrients and electrolytes. With all due respect to Harvest Bay (and other makers of boxed coconut water), there is *nothing* like drinking the water straight out of the coconut (nature's box, if you will ;). I was also amazed at how much water each young coconut contained. I giggle with joy each time I thwack one open!

In addition to drinking straight, try blending with a touch of coconut meat, the juice from 1/4 lime, a touch of cayenne and a splash of sweetener (I use agave).

Exfoliating scrub: Blend together one part coconut meat with one part water. After its thoroughly blended, add in Epsom salt (which is known for is detoxing properties) til you have a grainy consistency. Voila!

Coconut meat pudding: Blend together one part coconut meat, one part water, one part chocolate (use organic syrup if you are feeling lazy ;) half part sweetener (I like agave), and a splash of vanilla. Blend until it has a pudding like consistency. Insanely good!

I would be remisc if I wrote a note about coconuts without mentioning how to open them. Believe me, its MUCH easier than you think! Essentially, thwack off the pointy part with a heavy knife or meat cleaver. Thats it! (But if you want a more thorough description, visit this play-by-play or watch this video)

For more information on young coconuts, check out these articles and blog posts:

• Young Coconuts by Priscilla at Foodielicious.com
• Health Benefits of Coconut Water
• Certified Organic young coconuts
• Several recipes, articles, etc at the Give it to me Raw community

Do you have any tips, tricks or recipes with young coconuts? And... any ideas on what to do with those shells (I have a growing collection!)? Leave 'em in the comments!

I love Cliff Z Bars

I won't lie-- normally bars scare me! Most are overly processed, high in sugar, fat and calories, and chock full of impossible to pronounce ingredients. However, in a moment of rabid hunger a few weeks ago I found the blissful exception: Cliff Z- Bars for kids!

Its rare to find a prepackaged snack that is delicious, inexpensive and nutritious, but these yummy bars are all three:

• Delicious: The chocolate brownie bars are rich, and taste very chocolaty (notice I said chocolaty, not chalky). They even have little chocolate chips in 'em! They are sweet, but not overly sweet like many Luna bars, and have a great cake-like texture.

• Inexpensive: Trader Joe's sells Z bars for .69 cents a pop! Cant beat that! (Actually... you can also buy packs of 6 at Target for $3 or so).

• Nutritious: Aside from the taste, what most impressed me about Z- Bars is their nutritional content. Most importantly, the ingredients are all readable and identifiable. With a few exceptions, you can find every ingredient at the grocery store.
  

Also, they pack great nutritional bang for the buck. Each bar (which is pretty substantial in size) contains 3 grams of fat and 120 calories, but is high in fiber and protein, and all sorts of vitamins and minerals.

Finally, while on the topic of bars: I recently came across You Bars, which allows you to customize your own bars. Of course, as primarily a raw foodist I sort of make random stuff like this all the time-- but still, a neat concept!

Eat Yer Greens: A simpl(y) delicious kale salad!

Perhaps you've never tried Kale before... or, perhaps you are like me and would *like* to eat kale, but sometimes find it a bit hard to swallow. Either way, this super simple recipe makes kale worth (another) try:

Toss the following together:

• Finally chopped kale
• 1- 2 tablespoons of EVOO
• Juice of half a lemon (or so)
• Teaspoon of chili poder
• One Half teaspoon of salt

(inspired by a recipe in Rawsome!)

NPR Gets Krunk... and my Favorite Recipe of the Fall!

I just have to share this adorable clip of roadfood columnists Jane and Michael Stern (pictured here) sharing their most recent find on the Splendid Table: "The Crunkest fish in Nashville"

And yes, they do indeed define Crunk for those NPR listeners not yet familiar.

Also: The Raw Epicurean is featuring one of my favorite recipes, Cranberry Walnut Squash, this week! Its simple to make and super delicious. You can even buy the squash pre-cut at Trader Joes.

On being raw

As many of you know, I consider myself a raw foodist. But, you also know that I'm not dogmatic, and sometimes I eat cooked foods (mmmmm cereal!). I eat what I love. I eat the food that excites me. I eat beautiful food, because eating beautiful food makes me feel more beautiful. 9 out of 10 times, that means that I'm eating food that has not been cooked.

It turns out that this is a very common sentiment among raw foodists (which isn't suprising, if you think about it!). Here are two great blog posts on "being 100%" that really reflect my own thoughts on "being 100% raw":

• We Like it Raw: The trap of 100%
  
• Raw Food, right now: Reaction to the 100% Trap

A LOT of friends and acquiantances as me for guidance on going raw, and I would like to reiterate: Going raw is about adding, not taking away. Add more beautiful, fresh delicious, living, non- cooked food to your diet, and little by little the other stuff will go away.