I looked out into my garden after a few 90-degree days here in Portland and was shocked to see the amount of greens ready to harvest. I threw together this salad made of bok choy, pea shoots, red leaf lettuce, bok choy raab, cilantro, fennel, and chive flowers and topped it with my favorite Italian Herb Dressing. Fresh greens make a huge difference in the quality and nutrient value of the salad. If you don't have your own garden, you can find a nearby farmers market, or consider growing salad mix in a container. The best part? When you harvest, cut the lettuce about 1 inch about the soil line, and it grows back within days giving you numerous cuts and many salads to eat!

I love using young thai coconuts to create pies, puddings and yogurts. The yogurt is a great alternative to dairy/soy yogurt and making it yourself is easier than you might expect. In this video I show you how to make a Vanilla Lemon Pudding/Yogurt that is not cultured. To culture this you would simply add 1 capsule (1/8 teaspoon) of your favorite probiotic powder and let the yogurt sit overnight at room temperature OR place it in a dehydrator at 100 degrees for 3-6 hours. For more information on cultured foods please see Dr. Ariel Policano's blog at www.livefooddoctor.com. I made this recipe lemon flavored but any 1/4 cup of seasonal fruit can be added. Some of my favorite flavors are strawberry, blueberry and mango.

I am always looking for different ways to prepare raw salads. This one has been a hit with adults and children. It uses raw kale but you would never know it. Massaging greens with a little sea salt breaks down the cell walls of the plant and allows it to become soft, as if it were cooked. This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Cherie Soria, my teacher at the Living Light Culinary Institute. Kale is easy to grow and does well in cooler climates like the Pacific Northwest. It is part of the Brassica family and is high in vitamin A and C, manganese, dietary fiber, calcium, copper, vitamin B6, and potassium.

Raw, fermented sweet pickle relish. Made sauerkraut style and chock full of lovely probiotics. I love this on my salad, in soups or as a snack with some raw crackers

I made this dish for a raw potluck this weekend. All the classic italian flavours are there which makes this a favourite for friends and family who are not raw. You can make a big batch of pesto up to keep for the week and just do the zucchini on the night. http://thekitchendispensary.wordpress.com/

A delicious and refreshing dressing using some of the best products from the Coconut Secrets company. This dressing is great served over bed of greens, drizzled over cucumbers, or as a dip for nori rolls.

A super tasty creation using sprouted lentils instead of beans in this raw version of a layered taco dish.

A raw, tart/sweet take on a traditional Thanksgiving Day dish.

This recipe reminded me of two things: 1) how awesome food savers are! 2) how awesome it is to have a mom who juices expensive things such as cherries :) (and then foodsaves/freezes the juice for you). This didn’t end up as thick as my cranapple plum dressing, but it tasted out of this world! Then again, I just love cherries!

A wonderful creamy and rich green onion dip for parties.

Get your hands on some Coconut Secret products and give this sweet and spicy Sesame Ginger Dressing recipe a try.

I whipped up a super easy and delicious dressing, King Garlic Hemp Dressing. I use the word "King" before "Garlic" because in my mind, garlic is indeed the king of spices (Ginger is the queen).

This vibrant Rainbow Salad has wonderful mixture of refreshing and crunchy veggies topped with a creamy Spicy Thai Dressing.  So enjoy feeling energised and fit with this super salad!

Yummy kale pesto with plenty of lemon for a nice zesty flavor. Pecans, nutritional yeast and olive oil make this a rich lively sauce for raw pasta or as a delicious spread on flax crackers.

This is the PERFECT combination of sweet and spicy. Fabulous addition to spring rolls or cabbage wraps. Just dip and enjoy!

This is a really quick and tasty dip! It takes inspiration from tahini dip and steps it up a notch. Miso and lemon combine to give it a nice tangy kick. It can be eaten as a dip, or diluted a bit for a very yummy salad dressing.

 
 These creamsicles are perfect-for-summer treats and are very easy to make! For anyone who is not a huge fan of coconut, no fear, the mint extract balances the coconut flavor.

 This recipe is extremely simple and easy, and is a nice alternative to guacamole while satisfying your avocado cravings.

Allow me to introduce this fantastic beet and black bean dip. Healthy, colorful, delicious, and easy to make, this dip is great with chips, crackers, on pita, slathered on sandwich with other fillings, with carrots, apples, celery, etc.

This tasty Chipotle Sun Dried Tomato Dip is perfect for dipping veggie sticks, or raw crackers. Enjoy!

 This recipe is so easy and delicious that you'll never need to open another can of cranberry sauce again!

Having a beautiful spread mixed with cranberries is a great appetizer spread for the holidays or anytime and goes well on any kind of crackers.

 The Pure2Raw Twins say "You really can take this sauce and do a lot with it…keep it savory, make it sweet…have fun!"

 This dressing if perfect paired with any colorful salad that you're in the mood for. The garlic taste with the hint of lemon add such flavor to plain tahini.

 If you're a fan of tahini, this dressing is delectable! As Gena Hemshaw says "This dressing is superb: super tangy, but given a nice mellow flavor from the tahini."