Zukay Raw Drinks Giveaway!

*US residents only*

Hey all! The awesome peeps over at Zukay Live Foods want to give you free stuff! Specifically - their delicious, healthful, raw, fermented veggie drinks. They call them Kvass and you can see them all here. I have tried them myself and give you my guarantee they're rad. The Green is my favourite.

So what do you have to do? 
It's EASY. Just enter the Rafflecoptor contest (at the bottom of the post) by liking This Rawsome Vegan Life and Zukay Live Foods on Facebook, and following @rawsomevegan and @zukaylivefoods on Twitter.

The grand prize is a 6-pack of drinks of your choosing. 10 runners up will get a coupon for one free drink. And finally - ANYONE (as long as you're in the U.S.) can get a coupon booklet by sending their address to Zukay Live Foods in a private Facebook message. Don't worry - they won't use your address for anything else.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

product review: zukay raw veggie drinks

The generous folks over at Zukay Live Foods were kind enough to send me some delicious fermented vegetable drinks - traditionally called Kvass - to taste test. They pride themselves on creating and providing naturally probiotic drinks and salad dressings that help to combat the effects of the Standard American Diet. They describe their products as being made from "raw, organic, farm fresh veggies that are fermented in the ancient traditions, using only wild cultures [they] hand-batch [them]selves". You can learn more on their website linked here.

So what did I think of their raw Kvass? Well they were thoughtful enough to send me 3 different flavours: Beet, Super Green and Veggie Medley. My favourite is the Green which shouldn't come as a surprise for those who know my obsession and love for kale. To be honest, when I first took a sip my immediate thought was "This tastes like pickle juice..." but then I quickly got used to the flavour of the fermented cucumber and it actually started tasting sweet. I think it's because I was expecting something like Kombucha (my other favourite raw fermented drink) which is quite sweet.

Anyways - you soon get used to the taste and then start to like it. It helps knowing that these beverages are nutrient-packed and completely raw. There really is nothing like this on the market, speaking of - I hope to see Zukay in my own Canadian grocery stores soon! I give this product my stamp of approval (do they sell physical Approval Stamps?) and recommend it to anyone willing to try a refreshing drink that's healthy and different!

aged raw nut cheese

Check out my more recent recipe here.
I made this for the Christmas holiday, and it was HUGE hit! =) So flavourful.

I aged the cheese for a couple weeks, then got nervous it wouldn't keep until Christmas so... I froze it - I KNOW, terrible. I'm bad. I really shouldn't have. But I did. It turned out fine though.

I recommend aging your cheese a couple weeks before you want to serve it. Age it that whole time. For the first 2 days, leave it on top of your fridge, then for the rest of the 2 weeks keep it sealed in the fridge. The day you want to serve it, warm it up in the oven or dehydrator to give it a firmer exterior and creamy center. 

The cheese had amazing flavour, really delicious. The only qualm people had was the texture. (They still loved it though) I think it would've been creamier if I hadn't froze it. Next time... *sigh*

The darker one (below) is almond with sun-dried tomatoes. The lighter one is cashew with garlic.
I personally preferred the cashew wheel.

As for the type of nut to use, it depends on what you want. Cashews make a really creamy, smooth consistency. Almonds aren't so smooth, but they give it more texture and a different flavour. I can't afford pine nuts or macadamias, but apparently they're incredible for cheese.

Aged Raw Nut Cheese: makes 1 wheel

1 cup nuts (almonds, cashews, macadamia, pine nuts, walnuts, etc.)

1-2 cloves garlic

Pinch of salt & pepper

2-3 Tb sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

2 Tb olive oil 

2-3 Tb lemon juice

3/4 cup water, as needed 

Other herbs and spices, as desired (basil, etc. would be lovely

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Put in cheese cloth that's draped in a colander, sitting in a bowl. Let this sit on top of your fridge for 2 days, then store it in glassware and keep in fridge for about 2 weeks, more or less. Dehydrate or warm in oven before serving to make a firmer exterior. Enjoy! 

The flava is killa!

P.S. I dyed my hair pink! More specifically, my friend did. In grade 7 I dyed my hair pink 'cause it's a great colour, why not?! Then the other day I found the bottle in my bathroom and impulsively decided to use it again. I know, I know... ew chemicals, it's un-natural, etc. Part of me is in complete agreement. But I thought "what the heck, let's change things up". So I just did it. 

Don't worry - it's not tested on animals!