raw food and health food stores

Yesterday morning I drove to a health food store, Zerbo's, a few towns over in Livonia.  I wanted to get out before it warmed all the way up (it's been in the 90s here, which honestly after living in LasVegas is way tolerable) but since the top is down on the Jeep I wanted to get a jump on the sun.  We are super fortunate where we live to have 2 Whole Foods, Plum Market, 2 awesome food co-ops, and Arbor Farms Market all within a 5-20 minute drive of our house, but I like love to check out all the health food stores that I can!  When I travel part of checking out a new town is seeing if they have a HFS, and I always swing in when there's time (HappyCow is an awesome resource for finding hidden gems).  You never know they may be stocking that something you've been wanting to order, or have items that you don't know about, and you most always will at least meet some friendly new peeps.   Which is what happened for me yesterday =) 



My intent was hoping to find good prices on our mouthwash and raw B12, which I did, yea!  I also found some other exciting items.  Kelp noodles (I bought a bag from Andrea McNinch at VegFest this year, but haven't located them in a store yet), raw vanilla powder, organic raw olives, and some coconut nectar.  I stopped into WHole Foods in the afternoon and they had the nectar now too...and it was on sale...
Zerbo's also had Sun Warrior protein that I would like to go back and try soon, I see it on all the wonderful food blogs that I read!  Another time, it's not cheap, which is fine, just can't get everything at once. 

excited to try these guys.  Do you ever watch Alton Brown on the food channel?  We were watching how olives are made on his show and one of the common steps is to be soaked in lye, which is then soaked back out, but still...(every once in a while I think maybe I should be of the camp that ignorance is bliss ;)  Since then I haven't been able to get that out of my head as I love olives big time, so here's hoping we enjoy these =) 



I also found Ultimate Superfoods raw ground vanilla.  This is the vanilla powder that I've been using for 'sweetening' my chia puddings which is yummy, but I've been really wanting to try this raw one out.



it smells different than I expected, but yummy



I enjoyed an afternoon treat of a raw coconut dream pie from Zerbo's, so delicious with a light texture.  I'm really feeling the need for raw foods, maybe it was the weekend of eating a half of pizza (sans cheese)???  I just realized this pie is nut free, the ingredients are young coconut, organic dates, coconut butter, flakes, vanilla, sea salt, good clean living =)



Dinner last night was raw and delicious (two thumbs up from the hubby too!) Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles from Ani's Raw Food Essentials!  Ani recommends using your mandoline to slice the cabbage noodles really thin, worked great and I don't think it would have been the same with thicker slices.  Here's that cute organic baby cabbage from the farmer's market. 





the rest of the noodles, julliened red pepper (can't wait for the peppers in our garden, they're out and green now!), basil from the garden, and kelp noodles.  This is kind of surprising, but both of us loved the kelp noodles, they don't really have any taste, very neutral, but have the best texture, almost crunchy, but pliable.



Ani's delicious sauce (she is a genious with 6 ingredients it tasted complex and a whole whole lot like pad thai!) 



Raw Pad Thai dinner



And for some more Ani lovin, we've been eating the Garden Pate from ani's raw food kitchen, which is still one of my favorites, yum yum yum!

I like it best wrapped in big green leaves, but I won't pretend that I don't eat a spoonful here and there ;)



other things that have been happening in the kitchen here:  raw tahini making (if you own a food processor I can't tell you how nice it is to make your own seed and nut butters from organic raw ingredients, I also think you save quite a bit of money)  On a funny side note, we recently had friends in town, I'm not even sure what we were eating now, but he pointed out what a funny term nut butter is, and I had to laugh, I had never thought of it that way =O

before



after



the lunch I never tire of, Sunshine burger wraps with any veggies that are around



we've been loving these cherries, yea for stone fruit season!!!



summer tastes so good



I also made up a little quinoa salad recipe. Things come to me in the shower (I've had a friend say that ideas come in the water) and the moments before I fall asleep often, the latter is when this popped into my head.  (anyone resonate with this or thinking I'm a lil wacky?, it's ok if you think I'm wacky, I don't mind ;) )

cooked quinoa
lots of garden kale, basil, and cilantro
red onion
soaked sun-dried toms and raisins



dressing of Udo's oil, tahini, nooch, s+p, onion powder, agave, and water to thin as needed



I loved it and took it along camping to share. 
It's farmer's market day here, but I have lots to do that didn't get done yesterday due to a little time consumer known as TrueBlood...geez, good thing I'm like #65 on the library's list to see season 2!  Oh and I guess while we're on the topic of my mainstream consumerism, Eclipse was great and yes we went to the midnite show, why break the cycle now ;)  It was a fun girls night out with dinner before at Rojo where they make fresh guac tableside and have a yummy chopped salad that can be easily made vegan. 
Another good thing yesterday was getting to have lunch and a chat with the author of Be Verdant!  Thanks girl, always great to see ya!!!