In the mood for ♥  ... in the mood for beets ♥
... in the mood for ..  borscht! I have been dreaming of a bowl of borscht ever since stopping in for a midnight cup of peppermint tea with my friend at veselka the other night. veselka, an east village staple, is what new yorkers' know as the 24 hour ukrainian diner on the corner e9th street and 2nd avenue. i had lived on e9th street once upon a time .. i remember a few emergency late night perogies.. and well.. i actually never had their borscht.. but i have been craving borscht ever since hanging out there the other night. well- and i ♥ beets!

so, i checked out a few recipes online and adjusted to my liking. here is my version of a raw vegan borscht ♥. i like to make food that is easy, simple and clean. this borscht is refreshing, satisfying and delicious!

red beet & pretty golden beet

fresh dill!

raw vegan borscht!

my borscht in instagram setting :)

for this recipe, you will need a juicer, a vitamix or(high speed blender)

1 cup of beet juice

1 cup of carrot juice

half of an avocado (for creaminess)

1 small beet chopped

juice of half a lemon (you can add more to your liking)

1 pinch of sea salt

a dash or 2 of grounded fresh pepper

1 small beet chopped into matchsticks

1 small golden beet chopped into matchsticks

half of a small red onion chopped 

half of an avocado sliced

a handful sprigs of fresh dill 

lemon juice to taste

fresh ground pepper to taste

blend top ingredients together in vitamix or high speed blender. 

pour into soup bowl and garnish with chopped red & golden beets and some chopped onions.
put in rest of the onions and dill- be generous with the dill(delicious)

add in sliced avocado

squeeze in more lemon juice- it really brings out the flavor!
add another dash of pepper

serves 2 ♥

simple

clean

pretty &

delicious!

♥

p.s. i made this tonight so i did the best i can with the photos. i hope i captured some of the borscht's color and prettiness even without natural sunlight.

my dear friend kristina. raw. vegan. create. free bird.

vluscious: vegan. raw. conscious. luscious. health. food. 
green. beauty.

when it comes to healing, everyone has a personal journey, a personal story. . and so does my dear friend kristina taylor. i met kristina during the summer of 2010. we clicked right away, touching on similar interests and struggles. we are kinda like opposites that attract, but in many ways we are very alike. i am, well- me, a bit fiery and excitable... kristina on the other hand is calm and collected. she just has this cool demeanor about her.. and.. i must say this girl is multi-talented! fine arts photographer, writer, artist, a fine eye for aesthetics and.. etc etc. she can create, build, do your tarot and birth chart all at the same time! what girl doesn't like her tarot cards read and birth chart done?! 

a lot of changes, positive change for kristina this year.. through her struggles, she has found growth, personal evolution and adapted to the raw vegan diet. kristina has since lost over 70 pounds!! she is now thriving on fresh vegetable juices, fruits and salads!

she was always great company, but now she is vibrant and.. happy. she is one of the most positive and encouraging women i know. i think we learn a lot from each other. i am grateful for our friendship. oh- and we both ♥ kale.  

so to celebrate kristina at vluscious.. here is her raw bok choy salad recipe! Simple and tasty!

lots of love,

sussanna xx

some things 

kristina can't live without..

kale

• tea
  coconut water 
  almond butter 
  dark chocolate 
  spirituality
  and..
• laughter
  
  
  
  
     
  

  

  bok choy (flowers)!

  

  himalayan pink salt (pretty)

       

  gorgeous & tasty!

     
  

  kristina's raw bok choy salad

  
  

  4 bulbs of baby bok choy
  scallion
  italian seasoning
  olive oil                    

  balsamic vinegar or(you can substitute with apple cider vinegar)

  sea salt

  raw sesame seeds

  
  

  cut up bok choy

  slice scallions

  dress with olive oil

  italian seasoning

  balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar

  sea salt 

  mix well

  taste and add more seasonings or sea salt to your liking

  sprinkle in sesame seeds

  
  

  simple!

  
  

  ♥

  
  
  
  
  

         

        

valentine pad thai (raw vegan)

vluscious:  vegan. raw. conscious. luscious. health. food. 
green. beauty.


valentine's day.. nothing is more heartwarming than a beautiful bouquet of flowers from your sweetheart, a lovely dinner for two.. and of course, let's not forget some kind of yummy chocolate dessert.. (all raw vegan style of course!)

but.. my sweetheart is in the uk, so we couldn't be together today.. i thought: hmm.. what should i make for dinner tonight then? so, in honour of our nyc/glasgow romance- i thought pad thai... because he loves thai vegetable curry.. so pad thai?! well, that's good enough.. but really, i simply have been wanting to make this for a couple of days. i remember eating a raw vegan version of pad thai in santa cruz, california, about 6 or so years ago. it was quite good! a little nostalgia goes a long way.

so i gathered a few things from the market and made a little pad thai tonight. it was delicious. i only wish i haven't misplaced the battery pack for my little digicam for the photos. so i made do with my phone cam.(please excuse the quality of these pics)

i used my vegetable spiralizer that i have had for about 7 years for the first time(shame on me)- but now, i am addicted! i love this thing! (a vegetable spiralizer creates decorative ribbons out of veggies like zucchini, carrots, daikon radish, beets etc, etc. it creates 'noodles' for a starch free 'pasta'. 
awesome!

fun 'noodles' made from the vegetable spiralizer

raw pad thai!

raw vegan pad thai for two(or a big bowl for one :p)

for this you will need a vegetable spiralizer and a vitamix(high speed blender) although any blender should do ok.

2 cups of "spiralized" daikon radish

1 cup of "spiralized" zucchini

1/2 cup of julienne cut red pepper

a few leaves of thinly cut dinosaur kale 

a handful of cilantro 

a handful thai basil leaves(i didn't have any so i left out)

2 strands of chopped scallion

for the sauce:

1 cup of coconut water 

2 big spoonfuls or 1/2 cup of raw almond butter

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of nama shoyu(unpasteurized soy sauce) or you can use tamari(use 1 teaspoon first, add a little more if needed)

1 tablespoon of mince ginger

1 tablespoon of jalapeno pepper

1 teaspoon of mince garlic

juice of 1 lime (you can add a little more to your liking)

a dash of cayenne pepper

a tiny, tiny bit of agave or raw honey
(let your taste buds do the judging- always use less first when adding savory, sweet and spicy ingredients. then adding more to your liking later)

blend all sauce ingredients together in blender.

mix with top ingredients.

your valentine's day raw vegan pad thai is ready!
(however, it really is a dish for any day.. because doing something special for someone you love should be every day).

♥

lots of love,

sussanna xx

vluscious: vegan. raw. conscious. luscious. health. food. green. beauty.

vluscious: vegan. raw. conscious. luscious. health. food. green. beauty. (health is wealth. beauty comes from within- in and out!)
i first started vluscious ™ in the beginning of 2011. i have been wanting to start a blog for a while now. so, here goes.. (my website is coming up- slowly but surely)
vluscious is vegan. raw. conscious. luscious. health. food. green. beauty. you don't have to be vegan or raw to benefit from vluscious. here, you will learn about better choices. learn about food combining. learn the importance of fresh vegetable juicing(green juice- essential!) learn the importance of whole foods. kick the habit of processed foods. learn about detox & healing. recipes for healthy juice combinations. my favorite easy to make salads and recipes + other yummy recipes featuring local green chefs. fun and cool things that are conscious, luscious, healthy, yummy, green and beautiful. oh- and the importance of colon cleansing. that's right, colonics- gravity centered colonics.

me- i am sussanna. my path to healing, like many others, have been a personal one. i feel blessed to have learned about this lifestyle and way of eating. i first heard of it when i was 19 years old- even back then it had already made 100% sense to me. however, it was not until my mid 20's that i incorporated it into my way of living. at that point i started to fall ill and learned of an illness that i have had since infancy. a diet of fresh raw vegetable juices, fresh ripe fruits & raw vegetables, combined with proper food combining, along with colonics started to turn things around for me. my teachers have been gil jacobs. tommy devito. michael perrine. i have learned so much from these 3 guys. i am forever grateful for their help and generosity over the years. i follow the teachings of arnold ehret(the mucusless diet healing system) and dr. norman walker(fresh vegetable and fruit juices).
oh- i am a dietary detox consultant and a certified colon therapist since 2004, from the wood hygienic institute in florida. i work at releasenyc, a comprehensive healing center in manhattan, new york, owned by tommy devito. 
i love self portrait photography. music. film. nature. city. i sometimes play the ukulele. i sometimes knit. i sometimes make jewelry & things. i love making yummy, healthy food. i am semi- creative and now.. semi- blogger?! this is something new for me(blogging)...

some things i can't live without..
green juice
coconut water
avocado
salads with avocado :p
kale
sea vegetables
something sweet (fruit)
oh- and
love


so... my apologies for the quality of posted photos. most of them are taken from my camera phone and.. i'm new to this blogging business. picture quality will get clearer and better when i get my hands on a nicer camera.


lots of love,
sussanna xx
(drink your greens)

my easy to make avocado salad:


romaine lettuce
avocado
shredded carrots
purple cabbage(not in this photo but will post one with it another time)
nori or dulse(both are sea vegetables that can be found in most local health markets)(i usually add BOTH! i love, love dulse and nori)
a little bit of olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
celtic sea salt


add olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and celtic sea salt to chopped romaine lettuce and chopped cabbage. mix well.
add avocado, nori or dulse. mix again.
shred in carrots.
taste- add more seasonings to your liking(i am usually pretty generous on the garlic powder)
yummy and easy.


♥