Last weekend I was very blessed to have been invited for a very special day of meditation at The Nutri Centre in Regent's Park. This gorgeous centre is one of the world's largest suppliers of nutritional products and my favourite wellbeing book store in London. They even stock my DVD Raw Food 101!

The day was lead by a wonderful spiritual guru Andrew Smith, who is the author of The Revolution of 2012- The Preparation and The Revolution of 2012- The Challenge.



We all brought with us a healthy treat for a shared lunch. I must admit I didn't even stop to contemplate on what my contribution was going to be. This recipe has been a hit in all of my Beginners to Raw Food Workshops, Retreats, and more recently on so many blogs across the internet raving about it after watching the DVD. The only regret I had was not being prepared enough to take a better picture of the salad to show to you guys here. The photo really does it no justice at all :)



For the Dressing/Dip
1 cup cashews, soaked 2-8 hours
1/2 cup pure water
1/2 red bell pepper/ capsicum, de-seeded and chopped
1/8 red onion (small slice)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp tahini
1 tsp himalayan salt
1 clove garlic

For the Salad
5 large carrots, shredded
optional: sundried tomatoes, adzuki bean sprouts, mung bean sprouts, lentil sprouts

-Blend cashews with water first
-Add the rest of ingredients and pulse until creamy (use the tamper of your Vitamix blender)
-Add a little more water if needed
-Put all the grated carrots into a large bowl, pour the sauce on top and mix it all in
-Transfer into a nice serving dish and sprinkle with the optional extras
-Nom nom nom


If you like this recipe, watch me demonstrate the making of it step-by-step, as well as another 19 super scrumptious recipes on my DVD Raw Food 101- Your first steps to the healthiest lifestyle ever. The DVD is divided into there chapters: Intro, Equipment, Smoothies vs Juices, Milks and Calcium, Superfoods, Sprouting, Fermenting, Dehydrating, Sauces and Flavours, Quick Meals, and Sweets. The recipes are of course all deliciously raw and include nut cheese, superfood shake, 'meat' balls and spaghetti bolognaise, crunchy granola, chia crackers, raw chocolate and many more!

First come Christmas festivities, then New Year's Eve celebrations, now what? We are well and truly into January, and if you are like many people I know- you are either on a Detox right now or are planning one for ASAP.

Swimming and jumping at Zamora falls, Ecuador with Alissa and Elliot

I keep getting asked whether there's any point for myself to do a detox when I eat so well all the time and whether I allowed myself to be naughty during the holidays. Well, I'll put your curious fairies to rest...

No, I did not have any turkey, I don't eat meat.
Yes, I've just been on a vacation with my family (photos here) and ate aeroplane food.
No, I don't consider it slipping up at Christmas when you eat Nutella that one time a year ("my guilt is more toxic than my food").
Yes, I prefer to eat raw and do the majority of the time.
No, I didn't start off loving it straight away and it took a good amount of time to detoxify the system, change my cravings, and discover a new appreciating for what real food is.
Yes, I believe Detox if for everyone, no matter what your diet is. A body needs a 'shake me up' and 'flush me out'.
No, I am not too cool to follow my own Detox program, in fact I am having this very recipe (below) for dinner tonight as I type this sentence!

in Vilcabamba with sister Alissa, mum Elena and dad Vladimir

Taken right out of the Luxury Section of 'Purified', this is the DAY FOUR Dinner Recipe...
[Purified is a 7 Day Detox Program which contains two menu plans- one for a Budget Detoxer and one for a Luxury Detoxer]
Zucchini (courgette) used here as spaghetti will surprise some of you, when you taste how satisfying it is eaten raw and not too different in taste to the actual processed wheat pasta variety, since it doesn’t have a strong taste. But it really is an amazing vegetable with anti-cancerous properties and high water content, making it an ideal detoxifier. The flaxseed oil is the richest source of Omega 3 fatty acids, that are vital for preventing many degenerative conditions, such as heart disease, but it also plays a big role in strengthening immunity. The addition of lime in this meal is not only for taste, but to improve metabolism and speed up the detox effect.

For the Pesto
1 Cup Basil, packed tightly
½ Cup Sundried tomatoes, soaked 1-4 hours
½ Cup Pine nuts
½ Cup Macadamia nuts
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Lime, juiced
2 Tbsp Flaxseed Oil

For the Pasta
1 Large Zucchini/ courgette

For the side
1 Cup Sauerkraut
1 Cup Spinach, packed

-Process all the Pesto ingredients in a food processor (Tip: stop to scrape down the sides of bowl often to make sure there are always ingredients covering the blade)
-Dice thinly or grate the zucchini, to make them as long as possible and resemble noodles (Tip: use a spiralizer if you have one)
-Assemble the spinach leaves first, then sauerkraut, then pasta and pesto on top


Do you like this recipe? How would you LOVE another 45? My downloadable eBook 'Purified- Your Complete 7 Days Detox Program' contains two menu plans- one for the Budget Detoxer and one for the Luxury Detoxer, a complete shopping list for each, a recipe for every meal (even snacks) and a little information (just as above) about the benefits in every meal you'll enjoy.

Remember my trip to The Valley of Longevity?
I'm baaack!

This time our whole family are together for the first time in over two years. And since it won't be quite complete without Elliot, he also gets here in a couple of days in time for Christmas. So much happiness!!

Vladimir (dad), me, Alissa (sister), Elena (mum), Kiwi (doggie), and Irina (friend)




That's the kale growing on my parents' land! Mum is using organic homemade pesticide of water + tobacco leaves + chili peppers + garlic




3 Tbsp liquid aminos or tamari
3 Tbsp lime juice
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds*
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 garlic cloves
7 pitted dates
1 Tbsp raw honey
1/2 Cup pure water
huge bunch of kale
packet of kelp noodles
optional: avocados, extra sesame seeds, olives

*Roasted sesame seeds are a naughty exception here. They are not bad for you at all, in fact my theory here is that when they are in this recipe- they are extremely good for you! That's because you would find the recipe so delicious that you'd consume much more than you normally would including all the mega nutritious chlorophyll and protein packed kale.
-To roast the sesame seeds, just heat a non stick frying pan and toss them in it for a couple of minutes
-Blend all the ingredients apart from kale, kelp and optional ingredients in a blender
-Cut the stalks off all the kale leaves and chop them into a large bowl
-Massage the blended dressing well with the kale and then mix in the noodles
-Add any optional ingredients and serve
[Note it tastes even better if you make it in advance and leave for the flavours to infuse. That way the kelp noodles also have time to soak up some of the juices and to soften]

Winter is literally on our door step here in UK and we've just had Halloween, but those pumpkins haven't stopped haunting me. Guilt-tripping me, as they are in season and I still haven't done anything with them.

I am pretty big on seasonal foods and I know I'd have a hard time forgiving myself for missing out on this cute and sweet immune booster, so as per usual I went a little crazy with every kind of pumpkin, squash and gourds a store has to offer. It made its way into nut loafs, crackers, sauces, pies and the iconic pumpkin soup! Recipe below, but first...


1. Low in fat. Frankly I don’t believe in counting calories and think if you are still doing so, you’ve missed the point completely. But it is always good to know that the raw pumpkin (before it’s heated and the carbs turn to addictive weight-gain promoting sugars) is indeed an excellent low fat food.

2. Masses of fibre! Fibre helps you eliminate nasties and hence lowers your risk of bowel cancer, diabetes and constipation.

3. Carotenoids rich. The exact reason why carrots, squashes and pumpkins have that beautiful orange tone, beta-carotene is automatically converted to Vitamin A in the body and acts as an important anti-aging antioxidant. Yes please.

4. Vitamin C. Another major antioxidant to slow down the aging process, and protect the body for disease, cancer and pollution. Just one cup serving of raw pumpkin provides half the recommended daily dose of vitamin C.

5. Loaded with potassium. This amazing mineral enables nutrients to move into and waste to move out of your cells. It is super for metabolism and gut movement, healthy nerve sand muscles, as well as helping secretion of insulin for blood sugar control to produce constant energy.

6. Many minerals. Butternut squash and pumpkin have an array of other minerals such as iron, calcium, copper, phosphorous and especially zinc. Zinc is vital for healthy skin and a major booster for your immune system. Mother-Nature doesn’t give us pumpkins in flu season for no reason.




3 cups butternut squash/ pumpkin
1 cup pure water
1 golden sweet apple
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp tahini
1/2 inch ginger root
1/2 red chilli, deseeded
2 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
pinch pepper
optional: fresh thyme, pumpkin cubes and seeds to garnish

-Roughly chop the squash, apple, chilli and ginger
-Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend
[Note: use a tamper for a high powdered blender, pulse or add more water as needed]
-The soup will be warming from the chilli, but if you like the temperature to be warm too, just leave to blend for 2-3 minutes
-Garnish with fresh herbs, small diced pumpkin cubes and pumpkin seeds





Do you like this recipe? How about another 38 warming, hearty and healthy raw food recipes for winter? In my brand new eBook 'Nourished', you will find only the healthiest, enzyme rich and nutrient dense ingredients, which I specifically combined to support you and your immune system during the cold months of the year. Check out what you will find>>