Selecting a Chef’s Knife
A good chef’s knife is a necessity in the kitchen, but what is most important is that whatever knife you have is kept sharp. A sharp knife will make the job faster and easier. Purchase the best-quality knife and sharpener you can afford. A high-carbon steel blade is recommended, as it is the most durable material. Try it out in the store if possible, noticing how it feels in your hand. A good knife should have balance, like an extension of your arm.
Ceramic knives are an excellent alternative to steel because they do not lead to browning in fruits and vegetables due to oxidation caused by the metal, nor is there any subtle metallic taste imparted to the food. They will also last months, or even years, without sharpening. Ceramic is a very hard material, but brittle; these knives are susceptible to breakage if care is not taken in their use and handling.
For mincing fresh herbs, a cleaver with a slightly rounded blade is essential. Use a rocking motion, moving back and forth across the herbs, finely chopping them.
Blender
A high-speed blender is essential in the living-foods kitchen. Household blenders are unable to adequately process or achieve the desired smoothness when blending hard nuts and seeds, the motors will
quickly burn out with this type of use. We recommend the Vita-Mix Super 5000 (the most versatile blender), the K-Tec HP3 blender, and the Tribest single-serving blender (great for traveling).
Juicer
The selection of a juicer for your living-foods kitchen should be carefully considered. Most home juicers are of the centrifugal type. The quality of the juice extracted from this type of juicer is less than ideal because as the centrifugal mechanism spins at high speed, it shreds the produce, which therefore oxidizes it more rapidly. Centrifugal juicers also tend to waste produce because they are unable to fully break down the cell wall and extract all the juices.
The very best is a juice press system, such as the Norwalk juicer, with a hydraulic pressing mechanism.
At the Tree of Life Café, we use a commercial hydraulic press juicer.
The juice from a hydraulic press keeps its energy for up to three days.
The second best type of juicer is one that masticates the produce at low speeds and therefore preserves the health-giving qualities of the juice.
Masticating juicers produce a very dry pulp, as the juices are completely extracted.
The Super Angel juicer and Green Star juicer are perhaps the best masticating juicers currently available.
They are capable of juicing all types of produce, including green leafy vegetables (even grasses), and can effectively homogenize nuts and seeds for pâtés.
A less expensive option is the Omega single-gear masticating juicer.
We recommend that you purchase the best juicer you can afford.
Until you have your juicer, you can also make green vegetable juice with a high-speed blender by blending your produce with a little water and straining the juice through a nut mylk bag (a fine mesh bag) over a bowl or pitcher.
Food Processor
A high-quality food processor enables you to process vegetables in a variety of forms; it will also allow the processing of nuts and seeds to a variety of consistencies. Look for one with an 8- to 10-cup capacity. Cuisinart is a time-honored favorite brand, although there are many
good food processors on the market today. In our recipes, we use the food processor with an S-blade option for many procedures.
Dehydrator
When looking for a dehydrator, it is important to choose one that is fan-operated, which provides even drying temperatures in the food. Many home round stackable models lack quality temperature controls.
We recommend Sedona and Excalibur dehydrators because of their efficient fan-operated systems, accurate temperature control, and ease of use and cleaning.
The Excalibur has two different sizes: five trays or nine trays.
The Sedona dehydrator has nine trays but is a bit smaller than the Excalibur.
It has two fans, giving you the option to use half the dehydrator when needed.
These tray systems, which slide in and out, allow you to adjust certain levels without disturbing other levels, as would be the case with the common circular stacking models.
Coffee Grinder, Spice Grinder, and Spice Mill
A coffee grinder can be used to grind whole spices, and it works perfectly for grinding your daily flax seed. A quality spice grinder may be more effective for grinding hard spices to a fine powder. You can also purchase a ceramic spice mill for each type of whole spice you use, such as black and white peppercorns, nutmeg, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, caraway, and anise.
Spiral Slicer (Saladacco)
A spiral slicer, also called a saladacco , is necessary if you want to create pasta-like “noodles” from a variety of vegetables, such as zucchini and daikon. It is easy to make both flat ribbon “noodles” and super-thin angel hair “pasta” with this clever tool.
Mandoline
A most versatile kitchen tool, the mandoline is simple to use and will perfectly slice veggies and fruits thick or thin. With the switch of a
blade, you can instantly julienne, grate, or shred. This is essential for making vegetable “pasta” for live-food lasagna and other “noodle” dishes.
Miscellaneous Tips
Dehydration
Low-temperature food dehydration is a technique that warms and dries food but will not destroy enzymes.
It has been suggested by Edward Howell in his book Food Enzymes for Health and Longevity that food enzymes are destroyed when the food temperature reaches 115, 120°.
However, recent research by the Excalibur Dehydrator Company suggests that it is actually better to begin the dehydration process at 145° for the initial stage.
The reasoning is that as the food is dehydrating, it literally “sweats out” the moisture it contains and thus creates cooling.
This information changes how I think about the entire process of food dehydration.
It means that the safest way to dehydrate is to begin drying at 145° for a maximum of three hours for foods with a high water content.
After this, the temperature is set in the “normal” range of 110, 115° through the completion of the drying process.
By doing this, we are limiting the potential of bacterial growth by reducing the time the food spends in the dehydrator.
The longer that a food is in the dehydrator, the more potential exists for the enzymes to be destroyed, even at lower temperatures.
Low-temperature dehydration for sustained time, as practiced for years by the live-food community, may not be safe because sustained low-temperature dehydration encourages bacterial growth and fermentation.
At the Tree of Life, we feel that the new approach is both safer and more efficient.
But note that this technique is only recommended for the Excalibur dehydrator because it is the one used in the research cited previously.
Salting and Massage
The technique of salting, as indicated in many recipes, helps to soften hard vegetables such as cabbage, kale, or broccoli. Salt causes the vegetables to release moisture as it breaks down the cell walls. Digestion is made easier when these fibers are broken down. Foods that are high in cellulose will wilt slightly, creating a texture similar to cooked food.
Green leafy vegetables can be “massaged” by using the hands to directly rub salt into the greens. This effect is further enhanced by adding a small amount of an acid, such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
Soaking and Sprouting
Many nuts, seeds, and grains must be soaked and/or sprouted before they can be used in live-food cuisine.
Soaking the seeds and nuts removes the enzyme inhibitors they contain, thereby activating a food’s full nutritional potential.
We recommend soaking most of your nuts and seeds for 20 minutes with 3 percent food grade hydrogen peroxide.
For each cup of soaking water, use a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide.
This will remove any bacterial or fungal growth that may have occurred on the nuts and seeds.
After 20 minutes, drain the nuts or seeds, rinse until the water is crystal clear, and cover with fresh water to soak for the remaining time.
Sprouting is a fun and easy way to grow your own organic high life force food. We encourage you to read Sprouts: The Miracle Food , a book by Steve Meyerowitz. Organic sprouts are available in health food stores and in some supermarkets. There may also be, in your local area, someone who is growing sprouts to sell privately, and sometimes these are of better quality because they are not commercially produced. When looking for a local source for sprouts, here are some questions to ask:
• Do they use spring or filtered water?
• Do they use food grade hydrogen peroxide?
• What kind of medium are they grown in and what additional supplements are used to enhance the nutritive value of the soil (e.g., ocean minerals and effective micro-organisms)?
The answers to these questions will help you to determine the quality of the sprouts and the level of knowledge of your local sprout grower.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
The following is a list of answers to frequently asked questions by people transitioning to the Culture of Life:
• If your food tastes bland, you may need a little more salt, herbs, or spices.
• If you are not sure how much salt, herbs, spice, or liquid to add to a recipe, begin with a small amount and keep adding it until you reach the desired effect. You can always add more, but if you add too much to start with, it can be difficult to redeem the recipe.
• If a dish comes out too spicy, you may be able to balance it with some fat (e.g., coconut butter, nut butter, or avocado).
• Don’t be afraid to add new ingredients to any of your recipes. You might just be in for a great new culinary experience when you do.
• Sometimes simple foods are the most satisfying. For example, one of my favorite meals is avocado, hemp oil, and salt with a side of sauerkraut.
• Plan your meals and learn the ingredients. Ultimately it is the easiest way to eat.
• Chia porridge is the fast food breakfast of a healthy lifestyle.
• Once you get the hang of live food preparation, you will be able to make it in a flash.
• Plan your snacks to make sure you always have them available.
• Be open to trying new things several times. Some things are an acquired taste.
• If you are feeling a little light, nut butter, including coconut butter and avocado, will help to ground you.
• If you are still hungry after your meals, you may need to add more plant-based protein and fat to them.
• If you are having trouble digesting your foods, you may want to consider taking digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid (HCl).
• The time it takes to adjust to this lifestyle is different for different people. Take the time to adjust at your own pace and enjoy the process.
Breakfast Menu Options for Phase 1.0 Healing Diet
Creamy vanilla porridge
Nut mylkshake with cinnamon and E3Live, and 2 raw crackers with nut cheeze, tomato, and basil
Green smoothie and raw biscotti
Chagachino (adaptogenic mushrooms supplement rishie, chaga, and/or he shou wu powder with warm nut mylk)
Granola
Biscotti with almond butter and nut mylkshake
Nogurt with flax seed crumbs
Chia seed porridge with cinnamon and coconut nut mylk
Chia smoothie
Cinnamon chia smoothie
Sesame seed mylk
Pumpkin seed mylk
Almond mylk
Walnut mylk
Cardamom bars with two icings
Star anise bars with lemon icing
Cinnamon bars
Lemon coriander bars with coriander icing
Muesli
Plate with tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, and spirulina dressing
Nori cracker with sprouts and avocado
Main Meals Menu Options for Phase 1.0 Healing Diet
Simple kale salad
Spinach salad with avocado, bell pepper, celery, and dehydrated tomatoes
Stuffed tomatoes with pâté and mix salad with sprouts
2 raw crackers with chopped tomato, pepper, and basil
Nori sandwich with sun-dried tomato, hummus, alfalfa sprouts, and lettuce