FEEL FREE TO PERUSE THIS SECTION TO ASSESS MY WRITING ABILITIES:
1. French to English Translation Sample: Excerpt Class Manual for Crudessence Academy, Montreal, Qc.
From French:Chocolat Cru
Pour les fins connaisseurs de chocolat ainsi que pour les néophytes, l’expérience du chocolat cru est instantanément reconnue comme unique en soi. Elle n’a rien à voir avec celle du chocolat commercial ! Uniquement composé de fèves complètes, poudre, beurre et sucrant naturel (agave, sirop d’érable ou miel), d’un peu de vanille et d’épices, et parfois d’huile de noix de coco, le chocolat cru conserve toute sa puissance médicinale et éveille rapidement le corps et l’esprit.
Le chocolat cru se prépare comme le chocolat cuit, avec ses étapes de cristallisation et de tempérage. Cependant, pour faire un chocolat artisanal dans toute sa simplicité, ces étapes pour faire durcir le chocolat peuvent être omises. Dans ce cas, la réfrigération est de mise et obligatoire. Vive la démocratisation du chocolat : il ne faut mélanger que quelque ingrédient et hop, nous sommes chocolatés ! Une fois la recette de base créée, il suffit d’ajouter différents ingrédients pendant que le mélange est tiède pour confectionner différentes saveurs et textures.
Mais autour des chocolats croquants et fondants, gravite toute une famille de recettes somptueuses : pouding, sauce, brownies, crémage… un monde à explorer !
To English: Raw Chocolate
Whether you're a neophyte or a fine connoisseur of chocolate, both agree that the experience of raw chocolate is divinity itself; commercial chocolate can't even begin to compare to raw chocolate! With a bit of natural sugar (agave, maple syrup or honey), a touch of vanilla or a spark of spice, or even sometimes married to coconut oil, raw cacao in all of its spellbinding forms (whole, powder or butter) retains all of its omnipotence, effectively imprinting its therapeutic grace on body, mind and spirit.
Raw chocolate is prepared in the same manner as cooked chocolate, with its steps of crystallization and tempering. However, raw chocolate is easier to make because the traditional steps of solidification aren't used. Instead, a quick trip to the fridge suffices; ingredients are whipped together and voila, we have chocolate! This simple method means that once the "base" of the chocolate is made and is still warm, different ingredients can be added to yield various tastes and textures. Long live the democratization of chocolate!
Don't forget that an unfathomable world revolves around chocolate: silky puddings, rich sauces, decadent brownies, whipped frostings… A slew of recipes awaits your delving and daring!
From French:Chocolat Cru
Pour les fins connaisseurs de chocolat ainsi que pour les néophytes, l’expérience du chocolat cru est instantanément reconnue comme unique en soi. Elle n’a rien à voir avec celle du chocolat commercial ! Uniquement composé de fèves complètes, poudre, beurre et sucrant naturel (agave, sirop d’érable ou miel), d’un peu de vanille et d’épices, et parfois d’huile de noix de coco, le chocolat cru conserve toute sa puissance médicinale et éveille rapidement le corps et l’esprit.
Le chocolat cru se prépare comme le chocolat cuit, avec ses étapes de cristallisation et de tempérage. Cependant, pour faire un chocolat artisanal dans toute sa simplicité, ces étapes pour faire durcir le chocolat peuvent être omises. Dans ce cas, la réfrigération est de mise et obligatoire. Vive la démocratisation du chocolat : il ne faut mélanger que quelque ingrédient et hop, nous sommes chocolatés ! Une fois la recette de base créée, il suffit d’ajouter différents ingrédients pendant que le mélange est tiède pour confectionner différentes saveurs et textures.
Mais autour des chocolats croquants et fondants, gravite toute une famille de recettes somptueuses : pouding, sauce, brownies, crémage… un monde à explorer !
To English: Raw Chocolate
Whether you're a neophyte or a fine connoisseur of chocolate, both agree that the experience of raw chocolate is divinity itself; commercial chocolate can't even begin to compare to raw chocolate! With a bit of natural sugar (agave, maple syrup or honey), a touch of vanilla or a spark of spice, or even sometimes married to coconut oil, raw cacao in all of its spellbinding forms (whole, powder or butter) retains all of its omnipotence, effectively imprinting its therapeutic grace on body, mind and spirit.
Raw chocolate is prepared in the same manner as cooked chocolate, with its steps of crystallization and tempering. However, raw chocolate is easier to make because the traditional steps of solidification aren't used. Instead, a quick trip to the fridge suffices; ingredients are whipped together and voila, we have chocolate! This simple method means that once the "base" of the chocolate is made and is still warm, different ingredients can be added to yield various tastes and textures. Long live the democratization of chocolate!
Don't forget that an unfathomable world revolves around chocolate: silky puddings, rich sauces, decadent brownies, whipped frostings… A slew of recipes awaits your delving and daring!
2. Sample Article Published on TheRawDivas.com website: http://www.therawdivas.com/blog/2010/08/for-ladies-only-5-sunny-ways-to-beat-the-summer-heat/
3. Sample Recipe Article Published on the RawinMontreal.com website: http://www.rawinmontreal.com/en/blog/140-raw-food-tip-keep-it-green-and-healthy#JOSC_TOP
5. Sample Article (soon to be published on KatzQzine.com, which is under construction)
15 Weight Loss Tips & Tricks to Help Keep Your Waistline (and You) Happy (PART 1)
by Catherine Wilson
Maybe it's that time after all those Christmas and New Year's parties when that resolution sounds: "Time to get back on that bandwagon." Maybe it's just before Valentine's day, when sugar-coated kisses and revealing lacy underwear call attention to that neglected belly roll...Perhaps it's during the budding of flowers in spring, hinting at before-you-know it bathing suit season… Or maybe it's that invigorating September air, reminding you to renew that gym membership (what with the kids now being back in school) …Or perhaps, even, it's that image of that slinky, little black dress sublimely worshiping your curves under the mistletoe…
Whatever the reason, here are 15 food tips to help you looking and feeling your best for any occasion, including being radiantly you.
GO LIQUID
1. BROTH (bouillon). Being especially low in calories and easy to dissolve in hot water, broth takes good, too. You can also purchase broth in liquid form or make your own by covering carrot peels, beet greens, leftover veggies, etc. with enough water to cover and simmering for 2 hours. Strain away the solids and freeze into portion size containers. Try sprinkling on some Herbamare Aromatic Sea Salt and B12rich nutritional yeast for a cheez-y flavorful twist.
2. GREEN FRUIT JUICES. Hard to get in those fruits and veggies? Juice 'em! Make fresh juice using a blender and a nut mylk bag or use a juicer (for the first method, simply put fruits and greens in a blender with water and strain through the nut mylk bag). Instead of making just apple juice (or any fruit juice), add in GREENS: kale, collard, bok choy, spinach, lettuce, etc. Don't worry, it may look green, but it tastes like the fruits you used. A good ratio is 4-5 pieces of fruit per 1-2 cups of greens. Liquid fruit salad never tasted so good!
3. LIQUID SALADS & JUICED SOUPS. Salads can get monotonous (although see tip #7), so on to new adventures in texture when those same salads get zinged in the blender with a bit of water. Strain through a nut mylk bag, and voila! Liquid salad nutrition! If you use just veggies (no greens), you can then warm the juice gently on a stove and add in seasonings, spices and seaweeds (ground dulse, soaked arame "noodles," rolled nori sheets as "bread," etc.) of your choice. To make a simple juiced soup recipe, juice 2 lbs of carrot with a bunch of broccoli, an onion and 1-2 cloves garlic. Heat gently on the stove, add in your fave spices (Herbamare Aromatic Sea Salt works nicely) and a touch of hemp, flax or olive oil.
4. GREEN SMOOTHIES & ENERGY SOUPS. Green Smoothies are essentially liquid fruit salads packed with fiber. The fiber keeps you full (as well as helping to keep things moving in the digestive tract) and they are e-z peazy to make. Just throw your fruits and greens in the blender (remember to chop first, although a high-speed blender does wonders), add water and blend, blend, blend 'til silky smooth. A good ratio is 3-5 pieces of soft fruit (peaches, pears, mangoes, bananas) and 2-3 cups of leafy greens. Energy soups are cold salads gone soupy: Blend your veggie salad of leafy greens with tomatoes, celery, parsley, cucumber, etc. and throw in a piece of avocado (or not) with some water or even add in your fave vinaigrette or some apple cider vinegar. Can you say gazpacho?
DO VEGGIES ON THE PLATE (not on the side)
5. Try veggies you've never eaten before, like rapini, burdock root, parsnip, fennel and daikon radish. Ditto for the fruit: Consider exotic fruit like lychee, passion fruit, dragon fruit, durian and kumquat. A trip to the Asian market (or other ethnic stores) can reveal marvelous delights, including bok choy, red jujube dates and lo han guo (a dried fruit powder that's used as an alternative sweetener).
6. Make veggies your main meal. Grind cauliflower or parsnip in the food processor, add in a bit of olive oil and sea salt and have it as "rice" (or whipped with some almond milk for "potatoes"). Use a large collard or lettuce leaf as "bread" for your veggie burger. Ditch the potatoes and steam carrots with broccoli and cauliflower (perhaps some yam, too); then sprinkle on nutritional yeast, Herbamare Aromatic Sea Salt, dulse flakes and 1-2 tsp flax, hemp or olive oil.
7. Invest in attractive salads that have everything you need. To your variety of greens (collard, bok choy, mache, mitzuna, sheep sorrel, clover, young plantain leaves, dandelion leaves, parsley, coriander, chervil, etc.), arrange slices of fresh fruit that you enjoy. Add in dried fruits such as cranberries (sugar-free), dried raisins (oil free) or blueberries and a handful of seeds (that have been soaked 4-8 hours to release their enzyme inhibitors and decrease their fat content) such as sunflower, pumpkin or sesame. Drizzle on lemon or lime juice or try a floral water such as rose water. Garnish with edible flowers such as delicately scented rose petals, spicy nasturtium flowers (and leaves), or herb flowers such as dill, chive & mint. Your salad will be the pièce- de- resistance that even others will want to try!
8. Go big on sprouts. Sprouts are called living nutrition for a reason: they are alive & continue to grow right in your fridge! In contrast, fruits and veggies start to lose their essence after they are picked, and by the time they are transported and finally make it to your door (not to mention the time being stored in your fridge), they are days old. Sprouts also have MORE nutrition than veggies. For example, 1 ounce of broccoli sprouts has 10-20x more of the anti-cancer compound sulforaphane than whole broccoli; that is, you would have to eat 1 ½ lbs. of broccoli to get the same amount of sulforaphane in 1 ounce of broccoli sprouts. What's great about sprouts is that they are inexpensive to buy and they are dirt cheap if you buy the seeds and sprout them yourself (a task which is extremely easy to do). You can buy a ready-made jar, automatic sprouter or take any wide-mouth jar (even a mason jar) and cover with a piece of cheesecloth attached with an elastic band. Place seeds to completely cover the bottom of the jar and soak overnight. Rinse the next morning and leave jar tilted (propped up in the kitchen sink) so the water can drain. Continue the same process for the next few (3-5) days until sprouts appear: fill jar with water, shake jar, rinse and keep tilted to drain 2X daily. Store your sprouts in the fridge (good for about a week) and enjoy the many varieties: kale, carrot, red clover, cabbage, broccoli, pea, alfalfa, etc. Add to your salads or enjoy in wraps: for "bread", use a collard or leaf lettuce, soaked rice paper (sold in Asian markets) or a piece of untoasted nori seaweed. Top with nutritional yeast, Herbamare Aromatic Sea Salt and some lemon or lime juice and enjoy the living vibration…of life!
15 Weight Loss Tips & Tricks to Help Keep Your Waistline (and You) Happy (PART 1)
by Catherine Wilson
Maybe it's that time after all those Christmas and New Year's parties when that resolution sounds: "Time to get back on that bandwagon." Maybe it's just before Valentine's day, when sugar-coated kisses and revealing lacy underwear call attention to that neglected belly roll...Perhaps it's during the budding of flowers in spring, hinting at before-you-know it bathing suit season… Or maybe it's that invigorating September air, reminding you to renew that gym membership (what with the kids now being back in school) …Or perhaps, even, it's that image of that slinky, little black dress sublimely worshiping your curves under the mistletoe…
Whatever the reason, here are 15 food tips to help you looking and feeling your best for any occasion, including being radiantly you.
GO LIQUID
1. BROTH (bouillon). Being especially low in calories and easy to dissolve in hot water, broth takes good, too. You can also purchase broth in liquid form or make your own by covering carrot peels, beet greens, leftover veggies, etc. with enough water to cover and simmering for 2 hours. Strain away the solids and freeze into portion size containers. Try sprinkling on some Herbamare Aromatic Sea Salt and B12rich nutritional yeast for a cheez-y flavorful twist.
2. GREEN FRUIT JUICES. Hard to get in those fruits and veggies? Juice 'em! Make fresh juice using a blender and a nut mylk bag or use a juicer (for the first method, simply put fruits and greens in a blender with water and strain through the nut mylk bag). Instead of making just apple juice (or any fruit juice), add in GREENS: kale, collard, bok choy, spinach, lettuce, etc. Don't worry, it may look green, but it tastes like the fruits you used. A good ratio is 4-5 pieces of fruit per 1-2 cups of greens. Liquid fruit salad never tasted so good!
3. LIQUID SALADS & JUICED SOUPS. Salads can get monotonous (although see tip #7), so on to new adventures in texture when those same salads get zinged in the blender with a bit of water. Strain through a nut mylk bag, and voila! Liquid salad nutrition! If you use just veggies (no greens), you can then warm the juice gently on a stove and add in seasonings, spices and seaweeds (ground dulse, soaked arame "noodles," rolled nori sheets as "bread," etc.) of your choice. To make a simple juiced soup recipe, juice 2 lbs of carrot with a bunch of broccoli, an onion and 1-2 cloves garlic. Heat gently on the stove, add in your fave spices (Herbamare Aromatic Sea Salt works nicely) and a touch of hemp, flax or olive oil.
4. GREEN SMOOTHIES & ENERGY SOUPS. Green Smoothies are essentially liquid fruit salads packed with fiber. The fiber keeps you full (as well as helping to keep things moving in the digestive tract) and they are e-z peazy to make. Just throw your fruits and greens in the blender (remember to chop first, although a high-speed blender does wonders), add water and blend, blend, blend 'til silky smooth. A good ratio is 3-5 pieces of soft fruit (peaches, pears, mangoes, bananas) and 2-3 cups of leafy greens. Energy soups are cold salads gone soupy: Blend your veggie salad of leafy greens with tomatoes, celery, parsley, cucumber, etc. and throw in a piece of avocado (or not) with some water or even add in your fave vinaigrette or some apple cider vinegar. Can you say gazpacho?
DO VEGGIES ON THE PLATE (not on the side)
5. Try veggies you've never eaten before, like rapini, burdock root, parsnip, fennel and daikon radish. Ditto for the fruit: Consider exotic fruit like lychee, passion fruit, dragon fruit, durian and kumquat. A trip to the Asian market (or other ethnic stores) can reveal marvelous delights, including bok choy, red jujube dates and lo han guo (a dried fruit powder that's used as an alternative sweetener).
6. Make veggies your main meal. Grind cauliflower or parsnip in the food processor, add in a bit of olive oil and sea salt and have it as "rice" (or whipped with some almond milk for "potatoes"). Use a large collard or lettuce leaf as "bread" for your veggie burger. Ditch the potatoes and steam carrots with broccoli and cauliflower (perhaps some yam, too); then sprinkle on nutritional yeast, Herbamare Aromatic Sea Salt, dulse flakes and 1-2 tsp flax, hemp or olive oil.
7. Invest in attractive salads that have everything you need. To your variety of greens (collard, bok choy, mache, mitzuna, sheep sorrel, clover, young plantain leaves, dandelion leaves, parsley, coriander, chervil, etc.), arrange slices of fresh fruit that you enjoy. Add in dried fruits such as cranberries (sugar-free), dried raisins (oil free) or blueberries and a handful of seeds (that have been soaked 4-8 hours to release their enzyme inhibitors and decrease their fat content) such as sunflower, pumpkin or sesame. Drizzle on lemon or lime juice or try a floral water such as rose water. Garnish with edible flowers such as delicately scented rose petals, spicy nasturtium flowers (and leaves), or herb flowers such as dill, chive & mint. Your salad will be the pièce- de- resistance that even others will want to try!
8. Go big on sprouts. Sprouts are called living nutrition for a reason: they are alive & continue to grow right in your fridge! In contrast, fruits and veggies start to lose their essence after they are picked, and by the time they are transported and finally make it to your door (not to mention the time being stored in your fridge), they are days old. Sprouts also have MORE nutrition than veggies. For example, 1 ounce of broccoli sprouts has 10-20x more of the anti-cancer compound sulforaphane than whole broccoli; that is, you would have to eat 1 ½ lbs. of broccoli to get the same amount of sulforaphane in 1 ounce of broccoli sprouts. What's great about sprouts is that they are inexpensive to buy and they are dirt cheap if you buy the seeds and sprout them yourself (a task which is extremely easy to do). You can buy a ready-made jar, automatic sprouter or take any wide-mouth jar (even a mason jar) and cover with a piece of cheesecloth attached with an elastic band. Place seeds to completely cover the bottom of the jar and soak overnight. Rinse the next morning and leave jar tilted (propped up in the kitchen sink) so the water can drain. Continue the same process for the next few (3-5) days until sprouts appear: fill jar with water, shake jar, rinse and keep tilted to drain 2X daily. Store your sprouts in the fridge (good for about a week) and enjoy the many varieties: kale, carrot, red clover, cabbage, broccoli, pea, alfalfa, etc. Add to your salads or enjoy in wraps: for "bread", use a collard or leaf lettuce, soaked rice paper (sold in Asian markets) or a piece of untoasted nori seaweed. Top with nutritional yeast, Herbamare Aromatic Sea Salt and some lemon or lime juice and enjoy the living vibration…of life!
DO YOUR VEGGIES:
Parsnip Potatoes wrapped in Wakame Seaweed
PIECE DE RESISTANCE: Orange Flowered Salad
