So many times I see people struggling to get into one of nature’s finest bounties: young coconuts.

Even if they’ve been taught the ‘correct’ way to get them open with a cleaver, using the heal of the blade to bust them open, it can still be intimidating to actually do.

In this video I show you an easier way to get one of these babies open, but with a bonus…

You have a really nice and very impressive and unusual bowl to serve soup in, wowing your guests.

Thanks to Moi, aka “Big Moi” for turning me on to this way of opening coconuts.

Let me know what you think in the comments below and make sure you ‘share’ and ‘like’ on Facebook, and retweet to your Twitter followers if you think they’d find it useful.

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For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

Coconut kefir is one of my favourite drinks. I always notice a feeling of well-being after drinking a glass and then a couple of days of drinking it I notice a difference in my hair and skin.

In this video I’ll show you how to start with a very small amount of water kefir grains and grow them into a larger amount do you’ll never need to buy them again.

I’ll also then show you how to make kefir from coconut water.

One thing I need to mention is that the fermentation should be done at room temperature, then when you have a finished drink you should store it in the refrigerator.

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Water kefir grains cannot be grown from scratch they have to come from a donor. The good news is that you only need a very small amount to start growing them from that first batch.

Here are the instructions for growing kefir, we use maple syrup because it has a high amount of sugar for the grains to feed on.

Growing kefir grains

2 – 3 tablespoons water kefir grains
1 quart pure water
¼ cup maple syrup

• Place all ingredients in a glass jar and seal.

• Allow to stand at room temperature for up to 48 hours.

• Strain the liquid and reserve the grains.

• The resulting water can be drunk as is or added to smoothies for an extra boost of probiotics.

• You should notice a small increase in the volume of the kefir grains that came out.

• Repeat this process until you have enough grains to keep this process going and also make coconut kefir.

Young coconut water doesn’t have enough sugar to actually make the kefir grains grow very fast, but it does have enough sugar to make the coconut water ferment into kefir.

When you team up the previous process of growing the grains with the next instructions on how to make the actual kefir, you should be able to provide your daily kefir requirements on a ongoing basis.

For coconut kefir

¼ cup kefir grains
1 quart young coconut water

• Combine the water kefir grains and the coconut water in a jar.

• Allow to stand for up to 48 hours at room temperature. You can check every 12 hours to make sure the fermentation isn’t going to far. You’ll know if it’s strong enough by taste testing (the longer you leave the more pungent and sour it gets). After you’ve made a few batches you’ll get a feel of how you prefer it. The rule of thumb is that the more grains you have in the water, the less time it will need to develop. Warmer room temperature will also result in quicker fermentation.

• Strain the coconut water kefir from the kefir grains, reserve the grains for another batch or to grow more. Set the coconut water kefir aside for a second stage fermentation.

Second Stage Fermentation

Coconut kefir
½ to 1 cup juice of your choice

• Combine the coconut kefir and juice in a jar.

• Leave to stand at room temperature for 48 hours. This will cause a second stage fermentation where the kefir will break down the sugars in the juice and go fizzy.

• If your kefir is already quite fizzy or you just like the taste of the kefir with the juice without actually fermenting for that second stage, then you can simply add the juice and put in straight in the refrigerator which will slow the fermentation down.

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

In this video I’m going to talk you through my 2 current favourite dehydrators, the pros and cons of each, and whether you really need one or not on the raw food diet.

The temperatures I mention in the video are all degrees F.

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Key points

• The food itself in the dehydrator should not go over the temperature it’s thought that the most sensitive enzymes start to get affected by heat, that is around 118 degrees F

• That means that we can set the Excalibur dehydrator to between the 105 degrees F and 115 degrees F mark as that dial refers to the food temperature.

• When using the TSM dehydrator you’ll want to use a probe thermometer and have the air temperature set to around 110 degrees F. I’ve found drying to be very efficient at that temperature. You can always use the thermometer to actually measure the food temperature if you’re unsure too.

Pros and Cons of the Excalibur

Pros:

Cons:

Pros and Cons of the TSM

Pros:

Cons:

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

It’s now easier than ever to make your own non-dairy raw nut cheese to satisfy that cheese craving. Whenever I make one of these cheeses it’s usually gone within hours.

But rather than just eat it all on its own there’s some really nice additions to the cheese that can be served with it that make the most of the flavour and texture.

Some of these additions bring sweetness to the acidity of the cheese – a perfect balance. Others are there for texture.

In this video I’ll show you what to plate with the cheese and, of course, hwo to make it look great, should you want to serve to friends and family.

My homestudy course shows exactly how to make raw nut cheeses click here for details of the course.

Enjoy the video and be sure to leave me a comment, and ‘retweet’ on Twitter or ‘Share’ on Facebook if you think your friends would like to see this too.

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For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

Seeing as there’s a lot of conversation going on about whether agave has a place in a healthy right now, I’ve made a little video showing you how to simply make a whole food sweetener from just dates and water.

I get asked about my views on agave fairly often and the aim making this video is to provide an alternative for those people that want another option. It doesn’t mean I am saying agave is or isn’t ‘good’ or ‘bad’, that’s for another conversation.

I think there’s more conversation to be had about agave and with that said, here’s another great whole food alternative.

Remember to leave me a comment under the video and, if you’re on Twitter, ‘retweet’ or if you’re on Facebook click the ‘Share’ button :)

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For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

From Issue 21 of News From The kitchen

Serves 1 – 2 people

5c (500g/1.2lb) small broccoli florets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari

- Mix all ingredients together a in large bowl and massage with your hands until the broccoli becomes softer, then leave to stand for 10 minutes.

- Transfer the broccoli to a non-stick dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 4 hours at 105 degrees F. You may find it useful (but not essential) to turn the tray around halfway through as the broccoli closest to the fan will dry quicker.

For the sauce

1/4 cup tahini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon yacon syrup or agave
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons tamari
1/2 a garlic clove
1/2 a small de-seeded chili
1/2cm cube of fresh ginger

- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender.

- Mix with dehydrated broccoli when ready to serve

- Serve with the parsnip “rice”

For the parsnip “rice”

1.5 cups (275g/10oz) peeled parsnips
1.5 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon light miso
1 tablespoon cold-pressed sesame oil
3 spring onions, finely chopped

- Grind all ingredients, except the spring onions, in a food processor until fluffy and rice-like.

- Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chopped spring onions

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

My homestudy course is OPEN with some great bonuses and at a specially discounted price until Midnight GMT (4pm Pacific, 6pm Central, 7pm Eastern) on Monday 29th March.

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Click here to check out the details.

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

Note from Russell: This is a guest Blog Post by Rita G, a researcher on one of my favourite books The China Study, and soon-to-be author in her own right.

If you’ve been thinking of starting up on a raw food diet, it’s important that you carefully plan out this diet approach in accordance with your workouts. Those who are very involved in their workout program have specific nutrient requirements and if these requirements are not met, problems can and will likely arise.

Consequences can be high levels of fatigue, muscle mass loss, decreased strength and muscular endurance.

You don’t want to take a blind approach here as the consequences can be high levels of fatigue, muscle mass loss, decreased strength and muscular endurance, as well as poor sports performance if you happen to be involved in athletic events.

Here are some of the most important things to remember if you’re planning on going raw.

Get Complex Carbohydrates Before The Workout

The first thing that you must make sure you do is get enough complex carbohydrates in your diet before you head out to do your workout. These complex carbohydrates are what will provide the fuel your body needs to get through those gruelling workout sessions, so without them, you’re going to sputter out quickly.

One of the simplest complex carbohydrates to have before a workout is raw unprocessed oats. Mix these with a small amount of died fruit and some honey for added sweetness. Then form into tiny balls that can easily be consumed before you head off to the gym.

Finish The Workout With Fast-Acting Carbohydrates

Second, you also must make sure you get a head start on proper recovery by including a fast acting carbohydrate source immediately following your workout. This is when the muscles are most likely to suck this glucose up instantly, helping to regenerate the muscle glycogen that powers you through your exercise session.

Sugars will be broken down faster in the body than a grain source which requires more reactions to take place.

Fresh fruit or dried fruit works great in this case as the sugars will be broken down faster in the body than a grain source which requires more reactions to take place.

Juice also works well so if you’re not in the mood to consume solid foods after a hard workout, that’s a good option to turn to.

Do Not Neglect Protein

Protein is a nutrient that is often quite low in those practicing a raw food diet because unlike typical diets, you will not consume any cooked meat.

Instead, turn to hemp seeds, nuts, as well as beans to get as much dietary protein in as possible. Beans, also mentioned as a good pre-workout carb, are really ideal for before your workout as long as you don’t find them so heavy that you cannot workout.

You may risk losing muscle mass while exercising.

You should aim to get one gram per pound of body weight if you can, however you may find this increasingly difficult, especially if you choose not to incorporate a form of protein powder in with your diet.

Just be sure you don’t go below half a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight or you may risk losing muscle mass while exercising. Being sure to get in enough carbohydrates will also help to eliminate the risk of this occurring as well since that will help prevent incoming protein being utilized as a primary fuel source.

Take In Enough Calories Total

Finally, the last thing that you must be sure to be on the lookout for is total calorie intake. If you’re meal plan on your raw food diet contains mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, your calorie intake is going to end up being very low and this can make it incredibly hard to get enough energy in to get you through your activities.

Active individuals who exercise three to five times a week should aim to eat at fourteen calories per pound of body weight, so do a quick calculation for yourself.

If you’re aiming to lose weight you will want to eat slightly less than this but do remember that there is definitely a limit as to how low you can take your calories. If you bring them too low you risk your metabolism slowing down, preventing further fat loss from taking place.

So be sure you keep these tips in mind if you’re starting up on a raw food diet and are an active individual. You want to be extra sure you’re getting the right foods at the right times of the day because this is what will help you see optimal results from your workout plan.

About Guest Blogger Rita G: Rita is a nutritionist, researcher for books such as The China Study, and soon-to-be author. She is also head editor of the gift ideas site snubbr.com

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

***Feel free to post this video on your own blog or website using this link***:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oAXbqRKt2s

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.

From Issue 20 of News From The kitchen

Flax Cracker Base

Either use your own flax cracker recipe, flax crackers you already have, or use this recipe.

1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
6 medium tomatoes
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours or more
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons dried Italian herb mix
3 medium onions
1 clove garlic

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor

• Spread evenly and thinly over 2 Paraflexx dehydrator trays, right to the edges and then use a knife or spatula to score into individual squares .

• Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 3 hours then invert onto another mesh dehydrator tray to finish drying in the dehydrator for a further 10 – 18 hours.

Pine Nut Cheese Spread

1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup macadamias
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water

• Grind all ingredients in a food processor.

Tomato Sauce

4 medium tomatoes, de-seeded
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours or more
1 soft date
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice

• Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

Pesto

2 cups basil, tightly packed
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
1/4c pine nuts
1T olive oil
1/4t salt
2t lemon juice

• Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down, but leaving some texture to the finished pesto.

Assembly

• Start with the flax cracker as a base to which you’ll add a layer of the nut cheese spread.

• Next comes the tomato sauce and then top off with some pesto.

• Garnish with olives, capers and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.

Variation: This recipe works great using marinated whole mushrooms as a base instead of flax crackers.

• Marinate 12 mushrooms in 1/4c tamari and 1/4c olive oil for 2 hours or more.

• Fill the mushroom caps with the nut cheese, tomato sauce and pesto. Going heavier on the amount of pesto works really nicely with mushrooms.

• Once the mushrooms are stuffed, place in the dehydrator at 105 degrees F to warm through for 1 – 2 hours.

For more information take a look at the my other Raw Food Recipes.