And just to show you how seriously we're taking it and how much we appreciate everyone's input, check out some of the goodies I've prepared for the focus groups…

Keylime Pie volcanoes with Raw Chocolate lava and dehydrated lime slices.

Raw Food Five Layer Lasagna

Mushroom Jus, Caramelised Onions and Raw Food Onion Bread cubes.

Ginger Crunch Cookies and Chocolate Fudge Balls (see recipe below)

If there was a single common interest my tribe and I share (and of course it's a tough choice, because there are thousands), then it has to be our appreciation for real chocolate! I already know that you'd be keen to find out the recipe for the creamy fudgie truffles above :) I love you, so here you go…




1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 2-4 hours
1 cup pitted dates, soaked 2-4 hours
½ cup cacao butter, gently melted
1/3 cup coconut butter, gently melted
1/3 cup cacao powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
Cacao nibs

-Gently melt the cacao butter first. I either grate the solid block of butter and melt in a double boiler with really warm water underneath or roughly chop the butter and place in the dehydrator for 60 minutes at 105degrees F. [To watch a video on melting the butter, go to my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/BetterRawBlog and look for the Chocolate Covered Strawberries video].

-Put all the ingredients (apart from cacao nibs) into a blender and blend with a tamper or by pulsing, until creamy.

-Chill the mixture in the fridge for 3 hours, then roll into truffle sized balls, coat them in cacao nibs and serve.

150gm shiitake mushrooms
2 Tbsp liquid aminos
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tbsp white miso paste

-Slice the mushrooms into equal sized chunks.
-Mix together with the rest of ingredients and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
-Serve at room temperature or warmed in a dehydrator.







If you think this idea is fun and the recipe is delicious, wait till you see my Christmas collection of 33 gorgeous drinks, meals, sides and desserts in Festive-The Best Raw Food Christmas Recipes. They are all in this eBook, available for instant download and enjoyment after purchase, here>>

As I type this, Elliot is prettying up his surf board and asking me for the fifth time in a row whether I've packed both of our passports and visas. If you know Elliot, you'd know that it's not his thing to worry about that stuff, while he happily leaves the organisation part to me. Needless to say, he is one excited boy about his birthday present of a surfing trip to Biarritz, France, in the morning.

I usually make sure that we are nicely stocked for snacks when we go away, so I thought that you'd like to know about one of these scrummies which are coming on the plane with us. If they make it, that is....



1 big bunch kale, stems removed
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
5 medium oranges
2 Tbsp coconut palm sugar
1 Tbsp grapefruit powder (or 2 Tbsp baobab powder)
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Roughly chop up the kale and place it into a large bowl. Usually this recipe equates to 8 packed cups of chopped kale.
Juice 4 oranges and transfer the juice to a high speed blender. Chop up the fifth orange and add it to the blender, peel and all.
Transfer all remaining ingredients apart from kale, to the blender, and blend on high. Use a tamper or the pulse function.
Pour sauce over kale and use your hands to massage it all over the greens.
Arrange the kale over teflex sheets and dehydrate for 10-16 hours at 110 degrees F.
Store in an airtight container or a zip-lock bag to keep them crunchy for up to 2 weeks.



There are sooo many other Kale Chip variations! Two of my favourite recipes happen to be in my favourite eBook- 'Nourished- Comforting Raw Food Recipes For Winter'. There you'll find a recipe for Cheezy Kale Chips and Indian Curry Sauce, which I use on Kale Chips. So good. So so good. My word, I love Kale Chips!!

It's no secret that Elliot and I are getting married next year, but we are not done with the high of being fiancés just yet! As we got engaged in the middle the coldest winter UK has experienced since well before we were even born, it only made sense to wait for the summer to celebrate outdoors.


We hired the lawn bowling club next door, ordered some props online, put together a canapés menu and recruited the best looking helpers in town...

DIY decorations in the making the night before.

The gorgeous Californian beauties and their funny mini man.

Raw pizza and salad for the helpers.

And the #1 prize goes to my #1 helper and bestie! Gina- you are a little cupcake of awesomeness!

When you are preparing raw food, it shouldn't actually take you any longer than preparing cooked food, however you must always start ahead of time to allow for the dehydration process.

The great news about dehydrating is that you literally- pop in your trays full of food and walk away for the next 12-24 hours or so. No need to check up on anything, no need to worry about anything getting burned, and no crazy energy bills either! Have you checked out what dehydrator I use and recommend? See my entire suggested equipment list here>>

Here's a sampling of what I made...

Everybody's favourite- these Marinated and Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms never stick around for long, they are the best addition to any picnic and you can even serve them as a main course with a side salad.

Dessert was surprisingly tricky to organise, as I knew it'll be sitting out in the sun, while so many raw food dishes require a fridge or a freezer. That's why I opted for Chocolate-filled Macaroons (they are usually chocolate covered and I teach the recipe in my Raw Chocolate 101 class) and Chocolate & Caramel Coated Cookies (recipe is just like these Dutch Stroopwafels, but with added cacao powder).

Raw Food Pizza- a party must-have! The base is a classic nut-free version I always make, then goes the tomato paste, then the spreadable cheese and finished with any toppings you have in mind (or in my case- something that required minimal prep time was the winner- olives!) I also teach the making of it in my Raw Food Tastes of Italy class>>

Dips and Dippers. ALWAYS have Dips & Dippers. For simple dippers- carrots, runner beans and celery sticks will do the trick if your dips are tasty enough, but it's always good to add some flaxseed crackers to the mix. For the Dips- I made extra Pesto while doing the stuffed mushrooms, extra Creamy Cheesy Sauce while making the pizza sauce and Guacamole.

These mushroom nut balls and tomato ketchup are a delicious idea, possibly best kept for a more intimate dinner occasion. They take quite a long time to first soak and marinate, then process, then roll into balls and then dehydrate, but disappear in record time. Serve them with toothpicks to pin and dip or over courgette noodles if you are having them as a main meal.

Like any host will know- there is always something to do last minute, there is always something that gets overlooked and there is usually something that doesn't get done at all. However the great thing about it all is: nobody knows, but you!

I mean, just look at these guys... does anyone look like they know I may have forgotten a thing or two?

Happy Summer Solstice!

On this longest day of the year- the lemon juice is on tap, the tomatoes are flavoursome, the shallots are sweet, and the lettuces are crisp. That spells SALSA to me!

What goes with salsa? What doesn't go with salsa?

Tacos seemed like a swell idea to me, but since at this time of the year I try to spend as much time outdoors and as little in the kitchen, I went on a quest to make the quickest lazy taco, which requires the least prep time, no dehydrating time and maximum tastebud satisfaction...

The result are these mini lazy taco bites. The 'lazy' bit sounded like the best description, because I just popped all the salsa ingredients in the blender and whizzed them into a sauce instead. Hee hee.




For the raw vegan taco meat
marinated mushrooms (see below)
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked
1 cup walnut, soaked
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp mild chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp coriander
1/3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp Himalayan salt

For the marinated mushrooms
2 large portabello mushrooms, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced

For the lazy salsa sauce
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked (keep the water)
2 shallots
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced

For the taco shells
small gem lettuce heads
optional: avocado

- First and preferably at least 4 hours before, put all the sliced mushrooms into a bowl and stir in tamari and lemon juice, then set aside to marinate. At the same time put the pumpkin seeds, walnuts and sundried tomatoes (note there that both the taco meat and the salsa require sundried tomatoes) into separate bowls, cover with pure water and leave them soaking.

- After 4-8 hours you can transfer all the taco meat ingredients into a food processor and process until desired consistency.

- Transfer the salsa ingredients into a blender along with some of the water which the sundried tomatoes have been soaking in, and blend to a sauce.

- Peel the leaves off of the gem lettuce, load them with taco meat and spoon some salsa sauce over the top. It's ready to eat! The tacos are never quite complete with a little guacamole however, so for the lazy version- just pop a slice of avocado on top of the taco and dig in!