Upcoming Workshop and NEW RECIPE!

Hello All!

I've got a most fun full-day workshop coming up! Here are the details:

Eat More Fresh Fruits
& Vegetables and LOVE it!

Join us for a Fresh Food Preparation Workshop
April 18th, 2009 from 10am-3pm at the
Blue Lemon Restaurant Demo Kitchen
Taught by Melissa of rawmelissa.com
Sign up before March 31st & the cost is just $70, PLUS
you’ll get a Free Package of Chocolate Covered Macaroons!
At the workshop you’ll receive:
°Free Raw Melissa Basil Spring Roll & Fresh Fruit Lunch
°Over 4-hours of Fresh Food Prep Instruction
°TONS of Samples &
°A Packet of Handouts and Recipes
Email: heather@rawmelissa.com to register today!

The best part of all is that the whole thing is sponsored by these two WONDERFUL businesses:

BLUE LEMON

REAL FOODS MARKET

Now here's that recipe I promised:

Whatever-You-Like-Granola (Raw or Roasted)

8 C long cooking organic rolled oats

1-2 C one kind or a combination of any nuts (almonds, brazil nuts [chopped], macadamia nuts, walnuts, etc.)

1-2 C one kind or a combination of any seeds (flax, sunflower, pumpkin, etc.)

1-2 C one kind or a combination of dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, raisins, mango, pineapple)

1 C shredded coconut

1 C hulled buckwheat

2 C any natural liquid sweetener (honey, agave, or maple syrup)

2 tsp. vanilla

¼-1/2 tsp. salt (start with ¼ first and then add more if needed)

½ C walnut or almond oil

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients but dried fruit together. The granola should be moist and sticky, but not wet. If it’s dry, you can add water ¼ C at a time until the granola feels moist and sticky. In batches, spread on a cookie sheet to about a ¾ inch thickness and place in oven. Roast for 10-20 minutes or until golden brown. Pour into another bowl and continue with another batch. The granola will feel soft to the touch but will become crisp when it cools. When all the granola is roasted, you may stir in the dried fruit. You may also dehydrate this granola for a raw granola, but be careful not to start with a granola that’s too wet or it will ferment (add more oats if it's too wet). This granola can be served with fresh fruit and organic raw milk or nut milk.

Vegan Sandwiches Now Available!

We now offer Vegan Sandwich Meals that are perfect for family members who aren't raw, or for yourself if you're not 100% Raw! They're available every week and they're just $8!

Veggie Sandwich Meal:
~Whole Wheat Bread with Avocado, Red Pepper, Onions, Tomatoes, Sprouts and Assorted Greens ~Baby Carrots and Vegan Ranch Dip

Almond Butter and Apple Sandwich Meal:
~Almond Butter and Tart Apple on Sweet Black Bread
~Side Spring Greens Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Click here for instructions on ordering

Raw Vegan Gourmet Entrees

rawmelissa.com

Guess What?!

We are now offering Raw Vegan Gourmet Entrees!

After three years of remarkable success selling raw vegan gourmet desserts at health food stores throughout Utah, I hired a new chef and added gourmet entrees to my list of creations.

Our menu is updated weekly and we can ship anywhere in Utah for $25 and anywhere in the US for overnight shipping costs! See all the details here.

"Raw Melissa's food is fabulous. The presentation, taste, and flavor are unbelievable, heavenly and beautiful. It is by far the best raw gourmet food on the planet!"
S.P. Lindon, UT

Shelley Abegg

I can't even begin to describe the journey this woman has been on. She is one of the most kind, gracious and loving people I have ever met. Read her story here:

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/286151/17/

KINDNESS...Cycle it Forward

I had the absolutely amazing opportunity of meeting Brock Tully, the man who is behind the KINDNESS...Cycle it Forward tour across the US and Canada. His purpose is, "To promote the principle of kindness by means of a solo, 9-month, 18,000 km [just over 11,000 miles] cycling journey throughout the western United States and southern British Columbia." My dear friend Don Kirchner, author of the book and soon to be movie, "A Matter of Time" let me know that he was coming through our city. Brock depends on the kindness of strangers to get him through his journey, staying at their homes and eating with them whenever possible. When I heard I could be a part of his tour by donating some healthy food, I emailed his executive co-ordinator right away. Brock came into town on Tuesday where I picked him up at a bike shop and took him straight to the Raw Melissa kitchen. There I fed him a huge salad, a strawberry green smoothie and of course, some of the famous Raw Melissa Pumpkin Pie. Later that evening we had a great dinner with him where we were graced with stories from his lifetime of promoting kindness. Check out his blog to read updates on his daily journey and remember to be kind!

Always love,
Melissa

Whatcha Got in Your Garden?

Check this out!












Purple Dragon Carrots, Lemon Cucumbers, Assorted Heirloom Tomatoes, and Gigantic "oops-we-took-4-hour-zucchini-picking-break-and-look-what-happened" Golden Zucchini.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Hello! I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver (one of my all-time favorite authors!). Her latest book is called, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and, WOW, is it ever changing the way I think about food. It's all about the joys and celebrations of gardening and harvesting, but it's also full of research on how we can make better choices by eating locally. I've practically been living at my local Farmer's Market and am telling everyone I know to frequent local fruit and veggie stands and Farmer's Markets if at all possible. The huge box of peaches I bought last week was gone in three days! The strawberries lasted about two hours and the artisan bread was dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and DEVOURED. Here is a link that will help you find a Farmer's Market near you and I'll leave you with a great recipe for apricot nectar, so that in the dark winter months you can have a little local summer produce in your belly.

my nephews stuffing themselves with apricots

My Mom's Delicious Apricot Nectar with a Twist:

In a one quart freezer bag or one quart jar, put:

3 T fresh squeezed lime juice (We don't grow limes here, but I bought mine at the farmer's market. I think one of our farmers must have had his friends bring up a box from California, hehe!)
1/2 C agave or honey, and fill to the top with
apricots, pitted and pureed with the skin on (of course)

If you want raw vegan nectar, you can freeze it in the bags. If you want to can it, you can process it in a waterbath for 35 minutes. See here for more info on canning. When ready to drink, dilute with one quart of COLD water or orange juice. It also makes a GREAT syrup for whole grain pancakes and you can use this same recipe for peaches, too.

Two nights ago, I put up a dozen quarts of this great nectar. It was such a beautiful evening with a rainstorm happening outside and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel" playing in the background while I scooped up soft salmon-orange apricot halves and blended them into a thick, liquidy sunset. And the best part...I picked them for free from a tree that was begging to be harvested.

What do you have in your area? What have you harvested? I'd love to hear your stories.

Always love,
Melissa