Raw Food Affiliate Program

We recently launched a raw food affiliate program for our new raw food store called ShopRawFoods.com. I've seen many blogs out there that have affiliate banners on their sites promoting various online raw food stores. This is a great thing because it benefits everybody.

If you really believe in a store or the vision of a company why not earn some extra money by putting one of their banners on your blog? The way an affiliate program works is that most of them are free to sign up.

Signing up is pretty easy, you just need to fill out a quick form. Then you can typically select from a number of text or graphic banners to put on your site. Don't worry you don't need to know any html or coding language. The affiliate program gives you this code and all you have to do is copy and paste it into your site or blog.

When somebody clicks on your new raw food affiliate banner that you just placed on your site and makes a purchase, then you receive a commission, just for the referral. How amazing is that?

What happens if the person who clicks on that new banner simply looks around and then doesn't buy? Well you wouldn't make any money off that. But most all affiliate programs have what's called a "cookie" length. That simply means that when the reader of your blog clicks on your banner and doesn't buy; they still have been "cookied." That means that even if that person goes directly to the merchants site X amount of days later (w/o going to your site and clicking on that banner first) and makes a purchase, you still get credit for that sale. Why you ask? Well the reason why is because you're being rewarded days later for "introducing" your blog reader to the merchant who sells products.

The trick is to look for raw food affiliate programs that have long cookie lengths. Typically most affiliate programs offer a 30 or 60 day cookie program. Ours has been set to 150 days. That's 5 months! You could refer somebody over to our site and they can wait almost 5 months to buy something and you still get credit for that order!

Another thing about raw food affiliate programs is that you have to accrue a certain amount of money in your affiliate account in order to get a check. Most of the time affiliate programs make you have to accrue at least $100 dollars before you can get a check. I've seen some as low as $75, we really want to reward our affiliates so we set ours currently to $50. All you have to do is earn $50 and you get paid!

Last but not least, you want to look for an affiliate program that has a high commission rate. Typically commission rates hover around 5%. I think even Amazon.com starts their affiliates off at around 4.5% Our commission rate right now is set to 8%. Our average order size is $120 so that means a commission check for each order just shy of $10.00! Imagine making an easy $10 for every order you refer and making some money for doing something you love like blogging about the raw food lifestyle?

I know that having an affiliate program on your raw food blog or website is not for everybody. If it is and you resonate with what we're doing, we'd love to have you on board.

Kung Pao Chicken

Named after a court official or "Kung Pao," Kung Pao Chicken is a spicy Szechuan dish made with diced chicken, peanuts and chili peppers. This recipe calls for deep-frying; for a lighter version, try Kung Pao Chicken Stir-fry.
* 2 boneless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
* Marinade:
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 2 teaspoons cold water
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* Sauce:
* 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon black or red rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon chicken broth or water
* 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* a few drops sesame oil
* 1 tsp cornstarch
* Other:
* 6 to 8 small dried red chili peppers, or as desired
* 2 garlic cloves,
* 1/2 cup skinless, unsalted peanuts
* 3 - 4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying

Preparation:
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix in the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, water and cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients, whisking in the cornstarch last.

Remove the seeds from the chile peppers and chop. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Heat the oil for deep-frying to between 360 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully slide the chicken into the wok, and deep-fry for about 1 minute, until the cubes separate and turn white. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from the wok.

Add the chilies peppers and stir-fry until the skins starts to darken and blister. Add the garlic. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the deep-fried chicken back into the pan. Stir-fry briefly, then push up to the sides of the wok and add add the sauce in the middle, stirring quickly to thicken. Stir in the peanuts. Mix everything together and serve hot.

Jamaica Flower Iced Tea Recipe

When I'm in need of a refreshing stunner of a drink on a hot afternoon, I turn to this Jamaica Flower Iced Tea recipe. It became one of my favorite things to drink on hot afternoons throughout my recent trip to Mexico.

One of the first things you notice as you start browsing local markets in places like Merida or Mexico City is that many of the stalls are punctuated with big, baskets overflowing with the dried maroon petals of the jamaica flower (also known as hibiscus). If nothing else on this trip, I learned how to properly pronounce jamaica - in reference to the flower, not the country. It is ha-MIKE-uh in Spanish. If store clerks are looking at you funny in the states when you ask for it, try asking for dried hibiscus. You can usually find it near the loose teas, or nestled in with bulk herbs and spices in natural food stores. I usually get mine at Rainbow Foods in San Francisco. For those of you who have more limited options in your communities you can always mail order it here or here.

Dried jamaica flowers create one of the most beautiful and delicious infusions you can imagine. In restaurants, people can't help but crane their necks as trays filled with icy tall glasses of Agua de Jamaica make their way towards lucky recipients. In the case of the jamaica flower, the flavor is as engaging as the visual. Well-chilled and served over ice, the jewel-like ruby red juice brims with the tangy sweetness of the dried petals and sugar - add a kiss of lime and you have the perfect late afternoon refresher.

Making this iced tea is easy, easy, easy. It is a must for your next BBQ or pool party - people are always delighted when they get to try anything made with jamaica flowers. Once you find a source for dried petals you are halfway there. Creating the actual tea doesn't take more than ten minutes of active cooking time, after that you are just waiting for the tea to cool.

I am sold on the taste alone, but it is also believed (in many cultures) that jamaica/hibiscus packs a bounty of healthful properties. It is rich in vitamin C, and has been widely used as an herbal method of controlling high blood pressure, tempering fevers, alleviating digestive problems, as well as improving circulatory disorders. So enjoy it on this front as well.

Other ideas: use the petals to infuse granitas, sherbets and sorbets. I've also used the petals to flavor margaritas. Popsicles! I also want to try making it into a jelly at some point.

Jamaica Flower Iced Tea Recipe
(Agua de Jamaica)

4 cups water
1/2 cup dried jamaica flowers
1/2 cup sugar (I used natural cane sugar this time around)
Another 3 cups of cold water
More sugar to taste
1 lime, thinly sliced

If you prefer, you can sweeten with any natural sweetener of your choice including honey in place of granulated sugar).

First off, pick out a pot that won't stain. Hibiscus has the potential to stain just about anything it comes in contact with including your countertop, cookware, wooden spoons, favorite jeans, etc. So keep this in mind.

Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove water from heat and add the dried flowers and sugar. Place a lid over the pot and steep for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice along the way to break down the sugar granules.

Pour the infusion through a strainer into a pitcher or jug (this is usually where something gets stained). You are going to want to add about 3 more cups of cold water to the pitcher. Taste and adjust based on your personal preference. You can add a bit more sugar if you think you need it, or more water if you feel like the jamaica is too overpowering. This is usually just about right for my taste. I don't like the sugar to overpower the refreshing natural tartness of the jamaica flower.

Cool completely and serve with plenty of ice in glasses garnished with a slice of lime.

Serves 8.

Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
• 2 (13 3/4-ounce) cans artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Heat the spinach in a microwave oven on high for 5 minutes and squeeze dry. Drain the artichoke hearts and coarsely chop in a food processor.

Combine all the ingredients except the jack cheese in a large bowl. Stir well. Scrape into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the jack cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Transfer to a chafing dish and keep warm over a low flame. Serve with bagel chips.

Cold Bubble Tea

A popular drink in Asia, bubble tea can also be found in some U.S. restaurants and cafes. Use this simple recipe to make your own refreshing bubble tea at home.

What is Bubble Tea?
The bubbles in the tea are actually large tapioca pearls, which add an interesting consistency to the drink. This is a cold drink, so you need to make the tea well ahead of time so it has plenty of time to chill. Bubble tea is very popular in Asia, and it is beginning to gain popularity in the United States.
Bubble Tea Ingredients
For this recipe you need:
1. black tea
2. large tapioca pearls
3. milk
4. ice
5. sweetener
You also need a cocktail shaker for mixing together the drink, and extra wide straws for drinking up those bubbles.
Prepare the Tea
Begin by making a pot of black tea. While the tea is still hot sweeten it with sugar or honey. Generally, you will want to use about 1 tbsp. of sweetener per cup of tea. It is better to use less than more, because you can always add more later. Now, chill the tea in the refrigerator.
Boil the Tapioca Pearls
Tapioca is very delicate, so you want to make it right before putting the bubble tea together. Boil some water in a large saucepan. When the water is boiling, add one cup of tapioca pearls. Stir them up so they do not stick to the bottom. Follow the cooking directions for the type of tapioca that you are using. Generally, you want to let the tapioca boil for 25 minutes, then turn off the heat and let them sit covered in warm water for another 25 minutes.
Assemble the Bubble Tea
Drain the tapioca and rinse it with warm water. Add the tapioca pearls to the bottom of the cups. Pour one part tea, one part milk and some ice into the cocktail shaker. Give it a good shake so everything gets mixed up. Pour the milk, tea, and ice over the tapioca and enjoy the drink through one of the thick straws.

Source : http://chinesefood.about.com

Healthy Benefits of Oats

Oats are familiar in the world as a healthy breakfast food. Beside breakfast Oats can be used as ingredient in many kind of dish . oatmeal porridge, oatmeal cookies, oatmeal bread and cakes, muffins, etc.
Whole grain oats contain many healthy food nutritions and has lot benefits.
The soluble fiber so plentiful in oatmeal and oat bran can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease ( heart healthy Food ).
Oats also have plenty of vitamins B1, B2, and E. And not many calories--only 150 in a half-cup of dry oats, which also carries 4 grams of dietary fiber. Oats Recipe is Inexpensive and quick to prepare and can be combined with many healthy additions like dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate.
Health benefits are attributed to regular intake of oatmeal. ( Oats Healthy Benefits )
These include :

• Lower blood cholesterol
• Reduced risk of heart disease
• Healthier metabolism
• Stabilized blood glucose levels.
• Healthy weight control
• Normalized blood pressure.

Start your healthy living with healthy food nutritions from Oats Benefits . Try many variations of Oats Recipe to complete your healthy daily food for your family.

Baked Oatmeal

Oats are familiar in the world as a healthy breakfast food.

Base made from the healthy Oats, which known has a lot Healthy Benefits (of Oats) .

Here's one Oatmeal Recipe for main dish, and don't forget to check the other Oats Recipe link bellow.


Baked Oatmeal Recipe
(served for 5)

Ingredients :

2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoonful chopped walnuts
1 teaspoonful baking powder
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tablespoonful butter, melted
1 whole large egg, beaten
Cooking spray


Cooking Direction :

Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.
Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, and egg.
Add milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well.
Pour oat mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.
Serve warm.

Sea Food For Aging

 

Porphyra nereocystis
Porphyra nereocystis is epiphytic (real close neighbor to) on the Bullwhip Kelp, genus name Nereocystis. Porphyra as most know it, is commonly called nori. If you eat sushi, then you have probably seen Porphyra. It’s the seaweed that
your uncooked fish is wrapped in at the sushi bars.
Porphyra, commonly know as nori, is the most widely consumed seaweed in the world! It’s commonly found in Asian food, especially Japanese food, which has lead to the huge nori industry in Japan. With a very interesting
heteromorphic life history, Porphyra has just everything you would want in an alga! And they’re great to eat!
Nereocystis luetkeana
Otherwise known as the Bullwhip Kelp, Nereocystis is one of the giant kelps that make the great kelp forests, where sea otters and other critters live. Washed up on the beach they may look like dismembered tentacles of mythic sea creatures, or horrendously huge pieces of spaghetti. They have been used to weave baskets and also make great musical instruments.
Pelvetia compressa
Pelvetia compressa (now Silvetia compressa) is a common rocky intertidal brown alga on the west coast of North America ranging from Coos Bay, Oregon to lower California (Ensenada.)
Pelvetiopsis limitata
Resembling a dwarf Fucus, and even behaving like Fucus (if one were to believe that algae can behave in specific manners at all), Pelvetiopsis grows mostly atop of rocks in the upper intertidal zone. One way to distinguish these two from each other, is to look for a midrib. Fucus has a midrib and Pelvetiopsis lacks the midrib. Also, believe it or not, if you squeeze the receptacles (swollen tips) of Fucus, an ooze will come out.
This ooze undoubtedly contains Fucus eggs which if you have microscopic vision, you can see that the eggs are composed of 8, yes count them 8 functional eggs. Pelvetiopsis on the other foot, only has 1 functional egg.
Iridaea flaccida
Greek myths describe Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, as a messenger for the Olympian deities. The characteristics of the alga Iridaea flaccida strikingly reflect its namesake. The same properties of light which produce a rainbow provide Iridaea’s surface with its brilliant iridescence.
Vibrant colors wash across the thallus surface due to the multilayered construction of its cuticle. Flaccida subtly manages to communicate its phase of life history to the casual observer–yet it lives an isomorphic existence. Both its iridescent cuticle and the differences in blade strength between its life phases provide insights into the adaptations of wave-swept algae to mechanical stress.
Ulva fenestrata
Ulva is very common along California in bays as well as heavily exposed sites and easily recognized by the small holes in the thallus. Ulva is a genus of algae that includes species that look like bright green sheets and live primarily in marine environments. They can also be found in brackish water, particularly estuaries. They live attached to
rocks in the middle to low intertidal zone, and as deep as 10 meters in calm, protected harbors. Ulva are usually seen in dense groups.
Commonly known as the sea lettuce or the green laver, Ulva species can be eaten in soups and salads, and used as a substitute for nori (Porphyra), the popular seaweed in sushi. Ten species of Ulva exist worldwide, all of which have representation on the coast of California. The shapes of Ulva are quite varied- circular to oval to long and narrow, ranging in size from microscopic to 65 cm. They have fine, silky textures with waved or ruffled margins. The delicate blades of Ulva are usually only 40 microns thick.
Ulva taeniata
This alga characteristically has a ribbon-like thallus, and we have found it growing abundantly in semi-sheltered habitats.
Postelsia palmaeformis
The common name of this seaweed is the “sea palm”. It grows on the tops of rocks in areas associated with intense wave action. When they reach maturity, spores are produced that slime off of the sharply attenuated blades during low tide, where they then settle and differentiate.
Fucus gardneri
Fucus, pronounced like mucus, is a funny looking alga that grows in the upper intertidal zone. The inflated ends are called receptacles (these house reproductive parts, i.e. eggs and sperm), and they are fun to pop. But be careful, because Fucus sometimes feels like mucus.
Limpets
Limpets are in the group of sea snails that are found all over the world. You will find them clinging to rocks. Their homes are usually a scraped out region of a rock as large and as thick as their shells. During the day, they look for food. They live on algae. Limpets use their tongues to scrape algae off the rocks.

Chicken Porridge

Porridge in asia food are made from rice (Usually in western porridge is a soft food made from oatmeal) . Chicken Porridge Recipe is an easy recipe for daily cooking . This food recipe suitable for family breakfast . It's a Easy recipe and quick prepare for daily cooking.
lihat link Resep Bubur Ayam (bhs indonesia)


Chicken Porridge Recipe

Ingredients :

1/2 rice bowl measure of rice (rinsed and soaked in water for 15 minutes)
1 leg of chicken
3 cm ginger (julienned / slice as thinly as you can)
1 spring onion, chopped
4 shallots (sliced thinly)
1.5 litres chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoonful salt or to taste
2 teaspoonful light soya sauce
White pepper powder to taste
sesame oil a few drop per serving bowl


Cooking Direction :

Bring chicken stock to boil.
Add leg of chicken and allow to cook until just done.
( Don’t over cook the chicken or the meat will become tough )
Remove leg of chicken and set aside allow to cool.
Shred the meat

Place rice in a pot.
Add chicken stock and bring to boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer
Stir occasionally till the rice grains are cooked (puffed up or broken).
Switch off heat and close lid and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the shallots till golden brown and set aside the fried shallots.

Reheat porridge and add some water whilst stirring.
Bring to boil til you get a smooth consistency
Add light soya sauce and salt to taste.

Pour onto serving bowls
top with white pepper powder, sesame oil, some shredded chicken, ginger, spring onions and fried shallots.

Serve hot.