Empowered Foods Review: Chocolate Jungle Peanut Crunch Bar

Chocolate Jungle Peanut Crunch Bar: Part 2 of our Empowered Foods Review

After we opened the treasure box full of Empowered Foods and had the Wild Jungle Peanut Butter Cups, we knew there were some things we wanted to share with some of our cooked food friends.

So we brought over the box of treats, and let our friends decide which raw delight they wanted to try. We are lucky to have such adventurous friends. Our friends (who are shy and want to remain nameless) unanimously chose the Chocolate Jungle Peanut Crunch bar as their first choice*.

We opened up the chocolate bar and unfolded the crisp copper colored foil. The hardest part was trying to split up the pieces evenly so everyone could have their fair share.

The perfection of the appearance of this bar was remarkable. By only looking at this chocolate bar, you would have no way to tell if it was raw, or just another fine luxury gourmet chocolate bar.

I sliced up the bar into even pieces and gave everyone a piece.

Our friends noticed the familiar aroma of dark chocolate as we all simultaneously bit into our share of the chocolate bar.

Let's see what we individually thought about our experience:

Justin: When I was eating it, I couldn't tell the difference between this and a "real" chocolate bar. Same shapes, color, texture, and mouth feel. It was great for Hershey's bar nostalgia, but tasted better than the best European chocolate I have ever had. Having raw foods like this, even occasionally is a plus in my book.

Heidi: This bar was great. Just like regular chocolate, but better. Full flavor, slightly creamy, very dark. The peanuts were nice in there, but not neccessary. I guess I am a simple chocolate kind of girl.

Our Cooked Friends wanted to tell our readers that they think that other cooked food eaters would really enjoy this chocolate bar very much. They had no idea raw food tasted this good!

In fact, our friends have been asking us to bring over more raw food! They want to taste our recipes! They even ate salad with us this weekend! This is the real magic of raw chocolate: it opens up people's minds to the amazing potential of raw food.

For some, raw chocolate is the gateway to raw food. If this is the key that gets people into how amazing raw food is, we're all for it.

~ Heidi and Justin

* Our cooked friends also tried one other Empowered Foods treat, so tune in later this week to see which other raw treat they tried!

Chocolate Jungle Peanut Crunch
About To Be Devoured
By Both Raw Foodists and Non-Raw Friends

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone! (in the US)

We hope you are able to take this Monday holiday and enjoy time with your family and friends.

Once again this is a holiday that is filled with food. Cooked food. And when I say cooked food, I mean really cooked food, "on the grill". Brats. Burgers. Crock Pot Baked Beans. And lots of potato salad.

I was at a few various grocery stores this weekend in search of greens and herbs, and I was able to watch the shoppers who were gathering large amounts of groceries in preparation for their feasts. I saw people gathering corn. I saw big gallon containers of cole slaw and potato salad. And most fascinating was I saw people grabbing diet pop* as if this was the last shipment. At that moment I felt as if I was on another planet.

Fortunately I do not find the smell of a grill appetizing or tempting. Far from it. The most frustrating part of grilling season for me, is the smell. As I go on my daily walks or if I'm driving with the windows down I can smell the burning all over town. I can clearly smell the charcoal grills; the smoke rising into the air. I wish there was an air bubble they could put around grills, so no one would have to smell them.

For all of our raw food friends, we hope you have a day filled with spending time with those you love, and eating foods that you want to eat.

On Memorial Day, I think the best thing to bring to a get together is a big juicy watermelon. Everyone likes watermelon! And you could bring two watermelons... one for your friends, and one just for you! You can have a mono meal holiday!

Happy Holiday to everyone!
Summer is almost here!

~ Heidi

Bonus: Need more raw Memorial Day recipe ideas? We Like It Raw has some great recipe ideas!

* Pop is a Minnesotan term. Most of the rest of the world calls it cola, or a soft drink.
It's the Minnesota word of the day!

Thanks to Raw Food, UK Man Goes Without Sleep For 11 Days

Could you go without sleep for a few days? What about 11 days?!

11 Days!

What if you prepared for staying awake just as one prepares for a marathon?

One man in the UK had quite the marathon of awakeness! Tony Wright set out to beat the former world record that was set way back in 1964. He prepared to beat the world record for staying awake consistently, and he accomplished his goal thanks to raw food.

This article from the BBC website mentions the fact he used raw food in preparation for this feat:

He said that his 'Stone Age' diet of raw food helped parts of his brain to stay awake and remain functional for long periods."


The Sydney Morning Herald had this to say about his raw food diet:

"During his effort, which came as part of his research into human sleep, Wright relied on a diet of fruit, salad, seeds and nuts to keep him awake."

Staying awake for 11 whole days is quite amazing.

If you would like more information about the amazing power of sleep, and learn more about the previous person with the record from 1964, Justin and I highly recommend William C. Dement's groundbreaking book entitled The Promise of Sleep. This book is so fascinating and so well written that you may loose sleep because you won't put it down. Dr. Dement would not be pleased with that, as he recommends a consistent sleep schedule. You'll have to read the book to learn more about Dr. Dement's work as a sleep researcher for Stanford, and his fascinating techniques on how to get a quality nights sleep.

Related Links:
This London UK article (Great Up Close Pics of Tony Wright)
Sydney Morning Herald article
Raw Rob Journal Entry
Sleepless In Penzance experiment website
Tony Wright's Sleepless Diary via BBC

Empowered Foods Review: Wild Jungle Peanut Butter Cups

Wild Jungle Peanut Butter Cups: Part 1 of our Empowered Foods Review

When we opened the treasure box full of Empowered Foods, we knew the Peanut Butter Cups was the first thing to taste.

Who wouldn't, right? Deep down we all want to experience the candy tastes of our past.

We opened up the package carefully, and gave each other one cup to taste.

The first thing we noticed was how perfectly shaped the cups are. These truly are "peanut butter cups". Not just a name, they look just like your standard peanut butter cups...just a bit taller and darker. We had to take a moment to marvel at the fact that this was raw chocolate.

How do they make those shapes so perfect?

We also noticed the delightful aroma of dark chocolate as we were about to take our first bite.

It was time for the first bite, and it was a wild ride from there: flavor combinations of dark chocolate, mesquite, and the mild subtle flavor of the jungle peanuts put child-like smiles on our faces. There wasn't much talking, as we were engrossed in the experience.

Let's see what else each of us has to say about our experience:

Justin: It's funny that because of all the candy I had in my childhood, I expected that these cups would taste sugar-sweet. But my raw food experience has taught me that most raw foods that are made to emulate or simulate cooked foods do not taste the same. Or even close. It is part of the experience of being a raw foodist.

Heidi: I just want to say that I was really hoping for these to be "creamy". It says on the website that "Wild organic peanuts are handmade into a creamy butter stuffed to the brim inside our unique chocolate cups." These are not creamy. They are still delicious, but if you are hoping for creamy, you are going to be disappointed.

Still, the wonder of these treats overshadows such thoughts.

In fact, we were both very satisfied after one cup. We didn't need a bag of candy. Just one was enough to quench our desire for a "treat". Consider it like a fine chocolate truffle.

Raw food has come a long way since the sprout centered 70's. We doubt that Ann Wigmore and Victoras Kulvinskas would have imagined that in just a few decades there would be gourmet raw restaurants and decadent raw chocolates.

One final thought about the Wild Jungle Peanut Butter Cups:

If you miss Reese's, you won't now!


~ Heidi and Justin

Wild Jungle Peanut Butter Cups

Raw Food Travel Gadget: Swiss Spice

You've read the many raw food books with the relatively unhelpful two paragraphs on traveling while raw. Yeah. I know. I've read all 30 paragraphs, and they all say the same thing: Bring dried fruit. Order salads. Bring your own sea salt and your own raw salad dressing from home.

Very helpful. Yeah, right.

So when we find something that may be helpful for a traveling raw foodist, we are here, sharing with you the resources so you will go beyond the same two paragraphs and be able to travel 2,000 miles while eating raw along the way.

Today's gadget comes from Switzerland. It's called Swiss Spice, and it appears to be the ultimate portable salt and pepper shaker.

Swiss spice has a special seal on each compartment to keep humidity out. It is water proof. You can climb mountains and it won't shatter. And with dimensions of 2.4 x 2.3 x 0.75 inches it is designed to fit perfectly inside your pocket.

Granted, you may not be climbing the Swiss alps anytime soon, but I know you are going out with your family in a few weeks for {insert family holiday here}, and you are going to order "the salad". If you get yourself a Swiss Spice, you can have a handy device to handle your Himalayan Salt and your own raw spice blend. It may even be a great conversation piece. Hey, it might even make a great present!*

The test kitchen here at Raw Food Right Now has yet to try Swiss Spice, but we believe it may be possible that Swiss Spice can hold a liquid raw salad dressing!

If you are interested in purchasing Swiss Spice, you can order one online at Firebox.com, or at REI.com. For more info check out the official Swiss Spice website.

And if this doesn't convince you, check out these nifty icons!


Tested Worldwide on the mountains of Switzerland! Cool!
Advanced materials...that are used on 1960's sci fi rockets! Very Cool!

Happy travels, wherever you are!
~ Heidi

* Swiss Spice comes prepackaged with classic table salt and tasteless black pepper. If you are planning on giving this as a gift, we recommend you remove the salt and pepper and replace with delicious sea or mineral salts of your choice as well as a tasty spice blend.

Empowered Foods Review: Raw Chocolate Beyond Belief

Raw chocolate has been taken to the next level.

Alex Malinsky of the wonderful online raw food store RawGuru.com recently started a new raw chocolate company called Empowered Foods.

Empowered Foods' goal is to create decadent mouth watering 100% raw treats. The diverse product line currently includes such incredible treats as Wild Jungle Peanut Cups, Chocolate Goji Bars, Cacao Cashew Bars, and a host of other delicious treats.

Alex was kind enough to send us a sample package recently for us to review on our blog.

Over the next week, we will be reviewing our experiences with each chocolate treat sent to us. We've already tasted most of this stuff, and, it is unspeakably good...

Taste testing raw treats is such hard work. There is the tough work of unwrapping jewel colored chocolate presents. Then there is the hard job of biting into bliss. And the euphoria afterwards! Phew!

This is going to be one delicious week here at Raw Food, Right Now!

~ Heidi and Justin

The Raw Treasure Awaits.....................................

Ani Phyo Featured on Boing Boing

If you have never heard of Ani Phyo, now is the perfect time to learn more about this multi-talented raw foodist.

Ani is the co-founder of Smart Monkey Foods, a company that has a line of raw food bars that are sold all across Oregon, Washington and California. She's had a variety of other projects over the years, but her current focus appears to be helping people enjoy tasty raw food creations.

She also has a brand new book out called Ani's Raw Food Kitchen.

After all, if you haven't been to her website, now is a great time to check it out. She has filmed 10 episodes of how-to videos for a variety of raw food recipes. Ani has generously posted these videos on YouTube for all to enjoy.

Today Ani is featured on Boing Boing, and now a new wave of people can learn about the tasty and amazing world of raw food! Raw Food is going Web 2.0, and Ani is one of many who are
paving the way for this new explosion of raw food awareness.

~ Heidi

P.S. My favorite Ani video is for her recipe for Donut Holes. Yum!

Raw Food Equipment Treasures At Garage Sales

Yes, Garage Sale Season has begun. All over the U.S. there are garages, alleyways, front yards and even entire houses that are transformed into a store for a day, selling items people no longer want or need.

And right now, this is the perfect time to start building your raw food kitchen.

If you don't have a blender, food processor, juicer, dehydrator, chopper, plates, bowls, knives, salad bowls, whatever.... NOW is the time. And no excuses - at garage sale prices, these items can fit into any budget.

For years, I had read stories from many raw food experts claiming that you can find raw food equipment at garage sales. To be honest with you, I thought they were joking. Yeah, right. Who would sell their blender? Who would sell their food processor? Over the years at garage sales and flea markets I had seen a few broken blenders with rusty blades and broken motors, but unused juicers? Working dehydrators? No way.

After all, Tanja from Freshtopia found both her Vita-Mix and her dehydrator at garage sales. And we were given the gift of our ice cream maker from friends who found it at a garage sale.

I didn't believe the stories of raw food treasures, but times have changed. I now believe that it is possible to start a raw food kitchen by shopping at garage sales. And this weekend convinced me more than ever.

Within the past 48 hours, I have been to approximately 20 garage sales. Most sales were inside a suburban neighborhood that has one big neighborhood sale every year.

Here is a list of items that I saw at these sales that would be of interest to raw foodists:

* One dehydrator from the 1970's (Avada brand) - $5.00
* Two mini food processors - $5.00 each (one was brand new in the box!)
* One Cuisinart juicer - $1.00 (missing citrus juice attachment, but with the instruction manual!)
* Salad shooter from the 1960's - $10.00
* One Juiceman Jr. juicer - used once - $25.00 (included box, manual, everything)
* Set of 12 Ball glass jars (nice and clean, but without lids) - $8.00
* Salad spinners - $1.00 - $3.00

The salad spinners make me laugh. There were over 5 families that had the same exact salad spinner at their garage sales. Either the brand of salad spinner was lousy, or this whole neighborhood has given up on salads.

Found, but unusable:

* One very rusty pathetic Sears Ice Cream Maker, circa 1960's - $10.00

This Sears Ice Cream Maker was worthless. The fact that they were trying to sell it was an insult to garage sale aficionados everywhere. This eBay item looks very similar to the one I found, except it isn't crusty and rusty like the one I saw.

I also found countless plates, bowls, glassware, even some lightly used Tupperware. I found beautiful plates for fall, and pretty pitchers for lemonade. There were many things I could have purchased, but chose not to. I did purchase the Cuisinart juicer for one dollar. What a deal! I haven't tried it out yet, but I think it will work great.

Throughout the summer I will be stopping off at various garage sales from time to time. If I see raw food equipment for sale I will keep you informed as to what I find and how much each item was priced at.

If you want raw food, right now... it helps to have the equipment. Garage sales are a perfect way to get you started.

Now go out there and get searchin' for raw treasure!

~ Heidi

P.S. Found a raw food treasure at a garage sale? Have a great story about a treasure you found long ago and still runs great? Email us, and tell us about it!

Raw Food Blog Review: Green Smoothie Experiment

Raw Food Blog Review: Green Smoothie Experiment

Green Smoothies. Many of us in the raw food movement love them. But would you drink them all day, every day? Could you drink only green smoothies, every day?

Valerie Winters is drinking only green smoothies every single day because she is a woman with a goal: to loose all of her excess weight and become a healthy, disease-free woman weighing 140.0 pounds. And right now at the time of this writing she has 318.6 pounds to go. That may seem like a lot, but after reading just a few posts from Valerie, you'll soon realize that she is determined, and nothing will stop her. So far she has "released" 69.6 pounds since March 2007!

Her daily posts are full of nutritional information of the smoothies she has consumed throughout the day. I feel like I am reading about a continuing science experiment, as Valerie appears to be a magical alchemist, creating new potions every day to whittle her pounds away.

Every day Valerie drinks green smoothies, and blogs. Every. Day. And every day I cheer her on. I read her posts, and I send her love, as I know her other readers do too. We all are cheering her on. And we watch, from wherever we are in the world, and look forward to the day that Valerie reaches her goal, but no matter what, we are already proud of her. She has already succeeded. Valerie found the magic of raw food.

If you enjoy reading the daily food diaries of other raw foodists, you will certainly enjoy the food diary of Miss Green Smoothie herself, Valerie Winters.

Go Valerie, Go!

You can check out Green Smoothie Experiment by clicking here.

~ Heidi

Minnesota Grown Guide And The Raw Food Right Now Farm Adventure!

As I was leaving my local library tonight, I was glancing at the large variety of local newspapers and many weekly newspapers... when I saw something catch my eye.

It is called Minnesota Grown, and it is a directory to all the places you can get local fruits, berries, veggies and lots more!

This comprehensive guide is so complete, it boggles my mind. With informational paragraphs including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and even a few website addresses, this guide gives you all the information you need to find nearly anything you want. Some listings even tell you the months that are perfect to come and check them out! There is even an index in the back which lists the locations by food item! That means there is over 21 places with cucumbers! And I can't even count all the strawberry patches, or tomatoes!

For those of you that know Minnesota and the Twin Cities, you will notice familiar listings of all the farmers markets, and all the Minnesota co-ops...but there is so much more to explore!

Have you been to an alpaca farm? What about picking your own fresh raspberries or blueberries? Or getting your own wild field greens right from the farm and then going home and make a super fresh green smoothie?!

We know that most of you are not in Minnesota. Far from it. You probably are reading this from your cozy couch in England, or your tropical cabana in Thailand. But no matter where you are, it is always wonderful to buy local, and especially wonderful to buy without pesky pesticides.

Here's a little bit of fun facts taken from the Minnesota Grown Website that pertains to everyone around the world:

Why buy local?

• Good for you:
  • Locally grown products taste fabulous and are packed with nutrition! Since these foods do not travel very far, farmers can choose varieties based on flavor rather than on their ability to withstand a long journey to the market.
  • Local farmers can offer you more choices, such as heirloom vegetables, heritage breeds of livestock, and other specialty products that are not likely to be mass marketed.
  • Knowing who’s growing your food is a powerful thing. It allows you to ask questions, and to make your own choices about how the products you purchase are grown or raised.
• Good for your community:
  • Purchasing products from local farmers and artisan producers keeps more money in the community.
• Good for your environment:
  • The average American dinner travels 1,500 miles before reaching the dinner plate. Eating local food greatly reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and wasteful packing materials.

Announcing the Raw Food, Right Now
Farm Adventure!

We have been planning this since the days of cold weather, and now seeing this produce guide I know it is time to announce our secret plans.

This summer Justin and I are about to embark on a Farm Adventure! From berry farms to farmers markets to apple orchards in the fall, we will criss cross the state in search of produce so fresh it will cause raw food euphoria! We are going to pick our own berries, and hopefully step into the dirt and pick our own field greens. We will explore the many local farmers markets as well as check out the farms and meet some of the amazing farmers in Minnesota.

Of course Justin and I love organic foods, as we eat about 90-100% organic all the time. That is why our adventure is going to focus on organic, biodynamic and/or pesticide free farms as much as possible. We want to show you where you can get the good stuff!

Heirloom tomatoes. Yellow golden raspberries. A plethora of greens. It all awaits us. We just need to hop on the train to Farm Land. And we want to bring you along for the ride! Thanks to our camera, we are going to capture it all in colorful photos for you to enjoy! You'll see the farms, you'll meet the farmers. All this, and more this summer, on the RFRN Farm Adventure!

This adventure is going to start very soon, so keep checking back to see how our Farm Adventure is going!

Three cheers for raw food bliss!!!
~ Heidi

Related Resources:
Want to learn more about the Minnesota Grown project? Go check out the official Minnesota Grown website:
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/food/minnesotagrown/

You can pick up a paper version of the guide at most local libraries, and other twin cities locations including your local food co-op. Can't find a guide? Want to save a recycled tree? Simply download the Minnesota Grown guide in pdf form:
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/food/minnesotagrown/download.htm

Free Raw Ice Cream Mini eCourse!

Because the extremely high demand we have had from so many of our readers about our raw ice cream post, we have decided to set up a free Raw Ice Cream Mini eCourse!

This three day eCourse will teach the basics of making a simple raw vanilla ice cream. We lead you step-by-step on how to make your first raw ice cream from scratch. We cover everything from the equipment you will need, to all the little tips and tools you will need to make it successful.

We are offering this Mini eCourse for free to those of you who wish to sign up for our brand new mailing list.

Through the Raw Food, Right Now! mailing list, we will be offering additional free resources, tips, recipes, special offers and more!

Sign Up Now!

Psssst! Want to see a drool-inducing video on making raw ice cream? Check out the most recent video from Freshtopia, where the amazing duo of Tanja and Oscar have created a cavalcade of ice-creamatic visual delights!

Be prepared, though, this may actually blow your socks off...

This stuff is good.

Go. Now: Freshtopia makes Raw Ice Cream

Raw Food Photo Inspiration!

Let's face it, we all need inspiration to keep us eating raw. Some days, the standard green smoothie just won't cut it. We smell those cooked food smells and see those pretty gourmet meals and we may think to ourselves "what am I doing?".

Remember: raw food is beautiful!

That's why we thought today would be a great day to just sit back and look at some photos of mouth watering raw food.

Down below, you will find a collection of some of our favorites we have taken from our previous posts.

Enjoy!

(You may want to bookmark this page, for the next time you feel tempted for fried Thai food...)

Juices and Smoothies!!






Nut Milks!


Salads!

Soups!

Raw Side Dishes!!





Saving the Best For Last.... Raw Desserts!!!









Go and have yourself some yummy raw food! You deserve it!

Pure Food and Wine Gossip in Recent NY Mag Article

David Moltz has been a server at Pure Food and Wine for about a year. It's with his unique perspective that he is able to show us a little peek into what it is like to work at the famous raw food restaurant, Pure Food and Wine. This server shares it all in a recent interview at the food blog for New York Magazine.

From celebrities including beautiful models, Howard Stern and Bill Clinton all dining on raw food to tales of raw foodies gone mad, Moltz shows us that he has quite possibly seen it all at Pure Food and Wine. He also shares a little secret as to what the restaurant staff have for dinner (you are going to be totally surprised)!

This is a quick must read article for anyone who wants to know more about Pure Food and Wine but were afraid to ask.

Read the article here.

~ Heidi

Related Links:
Introduction to this interview on NYMag.com
Sarma Melngailis Food Diary Is Full of Green Juices (and a lamb meatball?)
David Moltz's band Salt and Samovar's Myspace Page

Raw Foods for Busy People Recipe: Whipped Cashew Cream

Whipped Cashew Cream - photo by Heidi Ohlander

Please refer to our Massive Raw Recipe Book Challenge post to get the scoop behind the Massive Raw Food Recipe Challenge.

Our third book: Raw Foods for Busy People by Jordan Maerin.


Recipe Type: "Whipped Cream"

Serving Size: Lots.

Ingredients: Raw cashews, water, dates

Approximate Time to Make: After soaking cashews and dates to make blending easier, 10 minutes


Heidi's Thoughts: What a fantastic simple cream. This is a standard cashew cream recipe that all others are based on. The flavor was mellow, which in this case is a good thing. I liked the flavor of the dates, but agave nectar could have been used as well. I now have inspiration to create my own version of this recipe.

Justin's Thoughts: Super yum. I love using raw "whipped creams" to put on berries during spring and summer. It's an incredible treat that tastes too good to be true. Jordan's recipe is simple and outstanding. Hats off to her.

Tip #1: This recipe makes a lot. You could even use some of this cream for a raw pie and still have plenty left over for fruit dip.

Tip #2: Use agave nectar in addition or instead of dates. It will help even out the taste and make it less cashew-y.


To Your Health,

Justin & Heidi

(Where's the full recipe? Find out why we do not always post full recipes.)

Whipped Cashew Cream with a Strawberry - photo by Justin S. Ohlander

Raw Food Blog Review: Raw Girl In Japan

Raw Food Blog Review: Raw Girl In Japan


When some people talk about raw food, they mean raw oysters, or raw fish sushi. These people dream of Japan.

But what about those other people who mean raw food the way I talk about raw food? Raw food, as in "juicy mango" kind of raw food? What if you are a "juicy mango" kind of person, living in Japan, the land of raw fish sushi?! Are you following me so far?

Em is a woman from the UK who is an English instructor and a raw foodist living in Japan with her husband Phil. Living as a raw foodist can be hard enough in your home land, let alone a foreign country. After all, the subtitle of her blog is "Surviving as a raw vegan in the land of sushi."

Em started Raw Girl in Japan in February 2007, after having been raw for a few months. She blogs about the world around her, and talks about the wonderful world of Japan. It is amazing to see Japan and Asia through the eyes of a raw foodist.

She talks about what she eats, where she is going, posting about raw food finds in Tokyo and elsewhere. She mentions her life once in a while, and tells us a little bit about "the hubby" whenever appropriate.

If you want to learn a little bit more about Em, this post is a great way to learn more about her. Otherwise, You can start from the beginning by reading posts from February 2007.

And if I were to pick a favorite post from Raw Girl in Japan, I would choose this one:

It's True Love....

It makes me smile.

When I read Raw Girl in Japan, I want to cheer Em on. I want her to continue on her raw food path, and follow her dreams. Who knows, next year Em may be a raw food yoga instructor living in the paradise called Thailand!

~ Heidi

Sexy Fruit and Veggies

I believe raw food is very sexy. And now there is a popular term out there for exceptionally beautiful photos of raw food, aka raw food porn.

What is food porn? My definition of food porn is, "food porn is a collection of images, usually involving close up photography, that captures the passion for food about to be consumed."

My definition of raw food porn is that the term is used a bit humorously. Raw food porn is about beautiful photos. This isn't about having your way with a cucumber, if you know what I mean.

And raw food porn is a whole fetish genre of food porn. The juicy fruits. The fresh crisp greens. The colorful veggies. The creamy rich smoothies. Take your pick, there are a lot of raw food photos out there to make you salivate.

The truth comes out right now: I catch up on the popular food website Slashfood. Slashfood is all about food. All kinds of food. Certainly not 100% raw, nor is it close to being 100% raw, but there are great posts on there once in a while that make it worth scanning every once in a while.

What post makes it worthwhile today? A Slashfood post dedicated to fruit and veggie food porn! Awww yeah, let's see them tomatoes!

Fruit and Veggie Porn Click Here

Enjoy.

~ Heidi

P.S. Slashfood doesn't have many raw food related articles. We're talking about one in 100 posts. If you feel like you will be tempted to want cooked food by looking at a website with cooked food photos, please. Keep away. Surf at your own risk. The Slashfood link above, however, is currently raw food safe.

Could a Durian be Just as Amazing Without the Smell?

Can a durian be just as delicious without the smell?

A Thai scientist named Songpol Somsri has worked for nearly three decades with crossing over 90 varieties of durian in the hopes of making the "king of fruits" a little less stinky.

What he's come up with so far is currently named Chantaburi No. 1, named after his province.

Heidi thinks that her favorite thing that has been said about this topic is when Russell James recently posted about this, said, "Durian is the Marmite of raw food". As being an American who has had Marmite, she couldn't agree more.

Do you think durian will taste the same without the smell? Will it taste better? Is part of the mystique of durian its smell, or is it something else? The prickly exterior? The creamy flavor? Is it really all about the smell?

And what about these scientists on the quest for making perfected fruits? What will they think up next? In our opinion, we think it is hilarious. And we bet there are many raw foodists out there that might feel a little sad that their durian might not be as stinky as it was before...because then, they would have no one to harass with the unique pungent smell of durian.

Songpol Somsri must really have a love for durian, or must really hate the smell.

Let's be honest. We, as raw foodists, love the durian because it's different. It's exotic. Smelly yet yummy. We love the look on people's face when you say durian and they look blankly back at you.

But why is it so great for making raw food an easier way to eat everyday?

It's fun.

The "fun factor" is extremely important in your diet. If you're always thinking about how bad cooked food is while you are eating raw, you're missing the point. Personally, we no longer eat raw food just because "cooked food is bad", but because... it's fun and it makes us feel amazing.

May your durians be stinky and yummy!

~ Heidi & Justin

Related Links:

The Raw Chef Russell James talking about odorless durian on his blog:
http://therawchefblog.com/are-we-about-to-see-odourless-durian-in-our-supermarkets

New York Times Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/world/asia/08durian.html?ex=1333684800&en=18f98bb8f34ddf22&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Boing Boing mentioning it:
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/04/09/does_stinkless_duria.html

Seth Godin Talking about Stinky Durian:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/04/stinky_durian.html

Link to Above Awesome Durian Photo on Flickr:
http://flickr.com/photos/21227234@N00/392612728/