You by definition

People have been asking me lately what exactly is the definition of raw vegan, vegan and vegetarian. I myself actually haven't researched all that much to fully understand what each is. I decided to do some research and find the definitions for myself and you all. Once you read this you will then know what you are or what you would like to be. Everyone is different, everyone's bodies are different and everyone can handle or not handle certain foods or certain amounts of certain foods i.e meats and dairy. Some people actually need red meat every now and then for their bodies to get what it needs. Some people don't need any meat at all. Some people are fine just with eating fruit and veg. You need to figure out what your body needs and then feed it the right food. Once you do that I know without a doubt your body will function at its fullest capacity and you will feel a lot better in many ways.

So here you go....

Vegan - A vegan will not eat any animal products, for example:

• No meat, fish nor other products that come directly from killing an animal, such as animal fats and gelatine.
• No dairy products such as cows milk, cheese and yoghurt; nor goats milk.
• No eggs nor foods containing eggs such as Quorn.
• No honey.

Link to find out more http://www.vegansociety.com/caterers/vcfa/definition.aspx

Raw Vegan - a diet that combines the concepts of veganism and raw foodism. It excludes all food of animal origin, as well as food cooked at a temperature above 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit).^{[citation needed]} A raw vegan diet includes raw vegetables and fruits, nuts and nut pastes, grain and legume sprouts, seeds, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs, and fresh juices. There are many different versions of the diet, including fruitarianism, juicearianism, and sproutarianism. The definition of a raw vegan diet can be loosened to include vegan diets with at least 75 - 80% raw foods.

Link to find out more - http://www.vegansociety.com/caterers/vcfa/definition.aspx and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_vegan

Vegetarian - A vegetarian is someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with, or without, the use of dairy products and eggs. OR

• A vegetarian does not eat meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, or by-products of slaughter.

There are different degrees of vegetarianism which may be what causes confusion with caterers. The four most common forms of vegetarianism are:

• Lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Eats both dairy products and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian diet.
• Lacto-vegetarian. Eats dairy products but not eggs.
• Ovo-vegetarian. Eats eggs but not dairy products.
• Vegan. Does not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other animal product.

Eggs: Many lacto-ovo vegetarians will only eat free-range eggs. This is because of welfare objections to the intensive farming of hens. Through its Vegetarian Society Approved trade mark, the Vegetarian Society only endorses products containing free-range eggs.

Link to find out more - http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=508

Now that you have the info you can ask yourself what you are or what you would like to be. You will also understand someone when they say "I'm Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw etc..

Spinach Dip

Today I had the great opportunity to attend my younger brother's baby blessing (christening). Of course this was an opportunity to have food afterwards so why wouldn't I go. While thinking about what to make for probably what was going to be a pretty big gathering it occurred to me that I never made a spinach dip before. Weird that I was craving one all of a sudden. So I decided to make a Spinach Dip. I knew I had to make quite a bit, at least enough for 20 people. Of course you can adjust accordingly depending of size of party or if you want left overs. I decided to go ahead a use organic frozen spinach because it came in a bigger bag for me to use. Use light ingredients for less fat of course. In my opinion though using "light or fat free" ingredients usually means more crap that's put into the products to make it less fat...I decided to use whole but of course that's up to you. So this is what I came up with ..

Ingredients:

1 kilo (2lbs) of chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out

1 cup mayo (light or not)
1 cup sour cream (light or not)
1/3 cup spring onions finely chopped
1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan Reggiano
3 garlic cloves crushed (optional)
pepper
salt to taste

Directions:


Spinach thawed, rinsed and drained of excess liquid. You then want to dice your spring onions (salad onions). Mix all ingredients together. Put in the fridge for about 30mins or serve immediately.

Now what I made served literally about 10-12 people. Probably depending how much everyone takes. I say to be safe 8-10 easily.

I like this recipe because you cannot taste so much of the spinach like you can in some other recipes. It has a great sweet creamy flavor to it that I know you will enjoy.  Enjoy :)

Cucumber Tasties

Here is my version of what I call Roasted Cucumber Tasties. Its a great substitute for bread when wanting a bruschetta but don't or cant eat bread. It's great tasting and has tremendous flavor.

Great of serving your guest when wanting a light snack or just for yourself to try. Almost the same as the bruschetta recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Red Pepper
1 Garlic Bulb
1 Cucumber (Slices Desired)
Olive Oil
Pepper
Salt



Directions:

Pre-Heat oven 375F (185-190C). Take the sweet red pepper and cut off the stem end, de-seed and slice horizontally then slice again. Drizzle with olive oil. Next take the garlic bulb and cut about 1/2 inch of the top. Drizzle garlic with the tbsp of olive oil. Cover the garlic bulb completely with foil. Place both the red pepper slice and garlic bulb onto baking tray. Roast for about 20-25 mins.

Once the timer is down to about 2-3 mins slice your cucumber. Take out the red pepper and garlic. Peel a garlic clove and slice, slice the sweet pepper to length desired and put on cucumber. Put sweet pepper slices on the cucumber slices, then add the garlic slices (amount desired) Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Done

Serves 3-4

Roasted Pepper Bruschetta

Here is a simple bruschetta recipe that I came up with. It will be great to do next time you need some party food or just feel like something light to eat. It came out great and the flavors mixed really well. You will have to try to find out :)



Ingredients:

1 loaf of Organic Baguette (6-8 Slices)
1 Sweet Red Pepper
1 Garlic Bulb
1 Tomato (sliced)
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
Pepper
Salt


Directions:

Pre-Heat oven 375F (185-190C). Take the sweet red pepper and cut off the stem end, de-seed and slice horizontally then slice again. Drizzle with olive oil. Next take the garlic bulb and cut about 1/2 inch of the top. Drizzle garlic with the tbsp of olive oil. Cover the garlic bulb completely with foil. Place both the red pepper slice and garlic bulb onto baking tray. Roast for about 20-25 mins.

Once the timer is down to about 2-3 mins slice your bread and place on oven rack. Everything will then be done together. When done take a slice of tomato and rub the bread (just want the juice) then peel a garlic clove and spread onto a slice of bread (repeat for every slice). Then slice the sweet pepper to length desired and put on bread. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Done

Serves 2-3

Quiet Villa serving Vegan in Umbria, Italy

The Villa is now complete for more info go to the website provided below.

Are you looking for a great getaway to Italy? Interested in Vegan food? Would you want the Umbria sun shining down at you as you walk through fields in the quiet surroundings. Hungry? Do you want to have some great vegan food?

Then check out our family business in Italy. I know you would love it. Its about 2hrs north of Rome, 45mins from Assisi and less than 30 mins from Perugia. Situated in the hills of Umbria this Villa was originally built in the 11th century. The Villa is almost completely restored and soon it will be up and running.

Check out the awesome Vegan Menu my mother has put together here

http://www.metamorefosi.com/at-vaccaria-umbria-vegan-hotel-workshops-retreat/organic-vegan-vegetarian-soul-food-umbria/

For more information and if you want to check out the website its

http://www.metamorefosi.com/en/

More pics will be on the website once the Villa is completed which will be shortly.

For Contact info clink the link above or you can contact me here on my Blog, Facebook or email me at oblackmer@yahoo.com for more info.

11th Century Church is also attached to the property shown below. The Floor which you can not see in the pic is about 5ft below the bottom of the pic. Ceiling and Roof first restored.

Outer walls done

Inside two of the rooms during restore (Ceiling and Roof so far). Remember in these pics it's not near being done. I just want to show you the beginning. When these pics were taking just the roof and ceiling were done. The Villa now is almost completely done. Once done I will repost new pics.

Fukushima radiation now detected in U.S. food

Research has shown that bluefin tuna showing up off the coast of California contain radiation. This amount isn't great by any means yet we really don't know how much is to much for consumption. I'm not saying go out and stop buying fresh fish or tuna. Just be careful and keep an eye on this sort of thing. More than likely it will be the fresh fish markets that will be getting checked before they sell. 



Article Link http://www.naturalnews.com/036022_Fukushima_radiation_food_supply.html

Craving Something?

Have you ever had a craving for something and couldn't really put your finger on what it was? Have you had 2 weeks of chocolate, chips or candy cravings and didn't know why? Its because your body is lacking some sort of nutrients. The only way your body gets you to eat something with the nutrients is to dig up a craving knowing that that piece of chocolate will have what it needs. It relates back to previous foods you have eaten. Its time to train your body to get you to eat the right foods when a craving comes up. You could also invest in a really great vitamin which would help as well.

Check out the chart below to see if you have any of these cravings and what you can eat instead.

I got this from a friend for my blog..Thanks Kami :)

Link http://healthwellness808.com/?p=1180