Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ One would think that raw food, essentially food in its most simplistic form, would be so incredibly simple to make. Yet, for some reason the very idea of eating raw just sounds so darn complicated.  Soaking nuts for hours and even days, purchasing pricey juicers, slowly dehydrating fruits and veggies ... who has the time or space?  Luckily, there are some raw food chefs and companies who are ready and willing to baby step me through the process.  I subscribe to hundreds of foodie newsletters from both non-profit organizations and profiteering companies, but one I have really been enjoying as of late is the eclectic update from Manitoba Harvest.  Each month they feature some insanely basic (and delicious!) recipes from Kristen Suzanne, a former competitive bodybuilder turned raw foods chef ...

Manitoba Harvest is the producer of Hemp Bliss (a dairy-free milk alternative) and various other hemp products, so the recipes do coincidentally contain hemp!  Following a cherry theme (frozen OR fresh as the spring berries emerge) Kristen Suzanne uses the natural sweetness of fruit and agave nectar to make two meal worthy beverages that aren't too bizarre for us cooktop addicts, but that easily qualify as raw, vegan, gluten-free, and nutritious!

These tasty smoothies will give you a super boost of vitamin C and give you a good dose of protein and those wonderful EFA's (essential fatty acids):

Cherry Vanilla Hemp Shake (pictured above)
 
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Organic Shelled Hemp Seeds
1 (10oz) bag frozen organic cherries (or 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted)
1 teaspoon raw agave nectar
1/2 vanilla bean, chopped
pinch sea salt
 
Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Yeilds 2 cups.

Blood Red Hemp Sunset (pictured at right)
Yield 3 cups

1 cup water
3 oranges, peeled
1 (10oz) bag frozen cherries
3 tablespoons hemp protein powder
2 teaspoons raw carob powder
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
 
Blend all of the ingredients together. Enjoy! 

Chef Kristen Suzanne is an accomplished Raw Vegan chef with a passion for helping people live life to the fullest with the healthiest cuisine in the world. Both self-taught and a graduate of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, she brings exquisite talent to all of her recipes and food production. Through her company, Kristen's Raw, Chef Kristen Suzanne offers training in public and private settings, consulting to help individuals live and love the Raw lifestyle, menu development and restaurant consulting, and engages with the media to further promote the Raw food cuisine and lifestyle. For more information about Chef Kristen Suzanne, visit Kristen's Raw Website.

To subscribe to the Manitoba Harvest newsletter and read more about their many products, visit the Manitoba Harvest Website.

Photo credit: Manitoba Harvest newsletter