November ushers in crops that are not only beautiful to behold, but they offer taste and nutritional benefits that will keep you warm all over as the temperatures begin to drop. Apple Pudding

2 cups grated apple drizzle of fresh lemon juice 2 Tbs. raw honey or agave Meat of two young Thai coconuts 1/4 cup coconut water 2 inches of vanilla bean (or 1 Tbs. vanilla extract) 4 fresh medjool dates (pitted) 1 ripe banana cinnamon or nutmeg Place the grated apples in a serving bowl and drizzle with the lemon and honey. Toss to coat. Blend remaining ingredients in a food processor or Vita-Mix until smooth and pour over apples, mixing well. Dust with cinnamon and garnish with a few chopped nuts. Serves 2 Dessert Crusts As fresh crops of dates and nuts appear in markets everywhere, you will have the basic ingredients to make a variety of crusts for your holiday treats. Here are a few suggestions: Variation #1 2 cups macadamia nuts 1 cup fresh dates, pitted 1/4 cup of shredded coconut, use fresh or dried pinch of Celtic sea salt (optional) Pulse together in food processor until it starts to form a ball. Then press into pie plate and fill with the pudding or filling of your choice. Variation #2 2 and 1/2 cups of soaked pecans and almonds, mixed 1 cup Black mission figs 1/4 cup fresh orange juice pinch of Celtic sea salt Pulse together in a food processor until mixture holds together. Remove to pie plate and press evenly. Pumpkin Filling: 1/2 cup carrot juice 2 cups of peeled and cubed pumpkin 1/2 cup soaked dates 1/2 cup raw honey 1/2 cup almond butter 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice Blend until smooth in food processor and pour into crust. This filling goes well with either variation of the crust. Let set in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with pecans. Russian Borscht Beets take center stage in my signature version of this classic Russian soup. Juice enough of the following vegetables to equal: 1 1/2 C. tomato juice plus 1 C. carrot juice ½ C. cucumber juice ½ C. celery juice ½ C. lemon juice Don't worry about exact measurements, just shoot enough of each vegetable through the juicer to equal the approximate amount. Pour the juices into a bowl and add: 1 C shredded beet 1 C minced red pepper 1 med cucumber chopped 3 scallions minced 1 large avocado cubed 2 tomatoes diced ¼ c parsley chopped dash of cumin and salt and cayenne pepper to taste Stir them all in and ENJOY! Serves 2 Kale and Pear Combo 3 ripe fall pears, cores removed 3 leaves of kale, curly or dark 1/2 avocado juice of 1 lime 1 Tbs. dried stevia leaves (or 1 Tbs. raw honey) Blend all ingredients well in a Vita-Mix or other blender until smooth and creamy. This is a wonderful introduction to Stevia, which you can read about in my soon-to-be-released e-book "Dental Health and Raw Foods." Quick Kraut With cabbage abounding everywhere you look, you may get a craving for saurkraut but don't have the time to wait for it to ferment. This fresh version will leave you satisfied in the meantime. 4 cups shredded fresh cabbage 1 grated carrot 1/4 grated onion juice of 1/2 a large lemon pinch of Celtic sea salt 1 Tbs. caraway seeds Drizze lemon juice over all ingredients and toss until thoroughly coated. Let stand a few hours and enjoy. Serves 2

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