Happy May Day!

It's May 1 and that means new produce available.  So take a peek at the Seasonal Foods list on this page.  All of a sudden we have a lot of fresh, local foods here in Illinois.  

Can't wait for that first Farmer's Market...

Raw Popcorn!! YAY!!

Popcorn used to be my favorite food group.  Yes, I'm kidding.   Well, no, not really.  I love(d) popcorn.  It's a crunchy, warm vehicle for butter.  I even ate it for dinner.  Amanda still remembers a morning when she was about 4 and came downstairs asking "what's for breakfast?"  I asked her what she wanted and she said "popcorn".  And I actually made it for breakfast.  Now, I don't really remember this, but I certainly believe it's something I would do.

So, when I finished this video it took me 30 seconds to get into the kitchen and make it for the first time.  Oh, yum!  And so easy.

 

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut up
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• nutritional yeast to coat
• any seasoning you might want to add (Italian blend, cayenne, cajun, etc.)

Put all in a large plastic ziploc bag and shake.  Eat.

Raw Roasting Addiction

I admit that I absolutely love roasted vegetables of all kinds.  And I also have to admit that in the middle of winter, I want some warm food.  So, I had to figure out a way to get both. 

Luckily, a few weeks ago, Fresh Picks delivered some beautiful Brussel sprouts.  These are a favorite winter food and the idea of eating them raw just wasn't very appealing.  So, I started playing.  (In these pictures I used 2 lbs. of Brussel sprouts so it looks like a lot.  The amounts for the marinade are correct for 1 lb. of Brussel sprouts.  You can easily double the recipe if you want.)

Step 1

Step 1.   For 1 lb. Brussel sprouts remove outer leaves.  Rinse, drain and slice thin.

Step 2

Step 2.  Thoroughly mix 1/3 Cup olive oil and 

1/3 Cup nama shoyu (raw soy sauce) OR 1/3 Cup coconut aminos.
Add seasoning if you like.  I added 1 Tbsp. of Italian Seasoning.

Add to the Brussel sprouts.  Stir to coat.

Step 3

Step 3.  Place into a glass casserole or large glass bowl.

Step 4

Step 4.  Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 8 hours.  Stir a few times to make sure all are coated.

After 8 hours the Brussel sprouts will look and taste like they've been roasted in the oven.  Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for later.  I didn't get a picture because I couldn't stop eating them long enough to get my camera.  They're great just coming out of the dehydrator or cold by themselves or tossed into a salad.

I've made this 3 consecutive weeks now and will get another batch started tomorrow.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.  Easy, delicious and versatile as a side dish.

Really? Raw Apple Pie? Yes, Really!

I'm not really a dessert person although I've been known to indulge a bit too much sometimes - okay lots of times.  Okay, maybe I'm a dessert person after all.   My question was how to make something that was delicious, raw, simple to make, and appreciated by those in my life who prefer a cooked, carnivorous meal.  I stumbled on Any Phyo's video and have made this several times now.  The recipe fits all of my criteria and everyone has loved it.  Enjoy!

 
             

Ingredients

Almond Pie Crust

• 2 cups almonds, dry
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups pitted dates

Syrup

• ½ cup pitted dates
• 1 oranges, peeled and seeded
• water, as needed

Filling

• 5 cups apples, peeled, seeded, thinly sliced, about 5-6 apples
• 1 cup raisins or cranberries
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. To make crust, pulse almonds and salt in food processor until nuts are in small pieces. You want your crust to have chunks of almonds in it, so don't overprocess. Use some of the finer powder to "flour" the bottom of your pie dish.  Slowly add dates into processor in small batches to mix with almond bits. The dates will bind the almonds to form a dough. Press dough into the bottom of "floured" pie pan. Set aside.

2. To make syrup, place orange into your blender first. Then add dates and blend. If needed, add small amounts of water to help everything mix well (I haven't "needed" this, but like to add the water to make more volume of the syrup). Set aside.

3. To make filling, place sliced apples in a large bowl with raisins. Toss with cinnamon and syrup. Spoon filling into pie crust.

Will keep for two days in the fridge.

For 16 servings, per serving: calories 230, protein 5g, carbs 39g, fat 8g, sugar 21g.

Recipe from Ani Phyo's "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen"
 

Best Salad Dressing - Ever

I love a great salad.  And great to me means top quality, fresh ingredients with a delicious, fresh, home made salad dressing.  Here's my new favorite.

1/2 Cup olive oil

1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's raw ACV)

1/4 Cup nama shoyu (raw soy sauce) - you could substitute regular soy sauce if you don't care about being 100% raw

4 - 5 Tbsps. honey (depends on how sweet you'd like the dressing)

1 minced garlic clove

1 Tsp. minced fresh thyme or parsley (or your favorite herb)

1 Tsp. minced fresh ginger

Pinch of cayenne

Shake until combined.  Pour over salad. 

Wrap and Roll

This past weekend I took a raw food cooking class at Green Spirit Living.  As much fun as I've been having with raw foods and as much progress as I've made I find there are many techniques that are a bit intimidating.  Since I don't back down from a challenge (well, sometimes I do) this seemed like a perfect chance to learn what I needed to make some new kinds of foods.

The menu for the day included:

• California Rolls with Orange Tahini Dipping Sauce
• Vietnamese Salad Rolls with Mock Peanut Sauce
• Falafel Collard Green Wraps with Hummus and Lemon Tahini Sauce
• Banana Crepe Ice Creme Roll

The food was terrific and the sauces were phenomenal.  The instructor, Linda, is so passionate and skilled.  I rolled my first nori roll and will finally make them for dinner this weekend.  (Note:  buy a bamboo mat.) She made me believe that I can finally open up a young Thai coconut.   And I never thought I'd want an ice cream maker, but I sure do now.

Here's a  picture of Linda getting the falafel wraps ready.

Linda from Green Spirit Living

The class was a lot of fun.  Location is on the north side of Chicago - almost Evanston.  I came from far and we had somebody from Indiana.  It was well worth it.

The First-Ever Raw Food Superhero :)

When the kids were younger, actually very young, we used to dance around the family room whenever Captain Vegetable was on Sesame Street.  Not a one of them likes celery, but I'm convinced this played a part in all 3 of them liking carrots.  Enjoy!

What COULD It Be???

Friday is my Fresh Picks delivery day.  I'm always excited to open the bin and find some unusual fruit or veggie along with lots of my normal favorites.  But today I found the most unusual looking food I've seen in, well, a very, very long time.

Fractal and Fibonacci?

What could this thing be?  I have NEVER seen anything like it before.  Is it from this planet?  Is it real?  How the heck do I find out?  Being a clever consumer I finally thought of looking at the packing list.  The only item on the list that didn't check out was something called Broccoli Romanescu.  I was still perplexed.  So I did what anyone else would do and checked Wikipedia where I learned:

"Romanesco broccoli resembles a cauliflower, but is of a light green color and the inflorescence (the bud) has an approximate self-similar character, with the branched meristems making a logarithmic spiral. In this sense the broccoli's shape approximates a natural fractal; each bud is composed of a series of smaller buds, all arranged in yet another logarithmic spiral. This self-similar pattern continues at several smaller levels.

The vegetable is rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, dietary fiber, and carotenoids."

I think I have to show it to people before I actually eat it.  If anyone has an idea what to do with this please let me know.   I'll let you know in the next day or two what I do with this.

Juicy Juice

I can't believe I haven't posted any news for 3 weeks now.  I'm not sure if I've been that busy but time sure flew.  During this time I broke down and bought a juicer.  Maybe that's what's making me so busy, but I've been juicing up a storm.  Here's are pictures of the ingredients in my first two glasses of juice.

Day 1 Juice

Day 2 Juice

I was so excited that I didn't even take a picture of the glass of juice.  I LOVE juicing and will be doing quite a bit of it.

So, today is January 31 and I'm pleased with my progress.  I've lost 11 lbs. and I've been able to swim several lengths in the pool.  Okay, I'm swimming 1 length, hyperventilating for 5 minutes, walking in the pool for 5, then swimming another length.  But I couldn't do this a month ago.  I'm very happy!  Thanks to Fresh Picks I've been eating new veggies, too.

I really enjoy eating raw foods and believe it's the path to health for me.  I have completely eliminated acid reflux and my cholesterol has come down to just about normal.  HDL is up and LDL is down.  February goals are:  lose another 5 lbs., swim a lap, get cholesterol into the normal range, try new recipes, and keep up with my blog. 

Arommmmmah!

I made a raw pasta dish with an aroma that I can't wait to smell again.  Just smelling it made me very happy.  And I already have a few ideas to change it up a bit.

Raw Pasta with Porto/Garlic/Lemon Sauce

INGREDIENTS

2 zucchini, peeled

1/3 Cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

1 Tsp. salt

1 Tsp. dried herbs (thyme, basil, or oregano)

4 Cups cut up portobello mushrooms (or use any kind of mushrooms you have on hand - the portobellos add a meaty texture and earthy aroma)

Peel zucchini into long thin strips resembling fettucine directly into a bowl. 

 Cut the portobellos into bite-size pieces.

 

Mix olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and herbs.  Pour over mushrooms to coat.  Let sit for 30 minutes. 

Add mushroom mixture to zucchini.  You may add toppings such as a chiffonade of basil or chopped parsley.  Next time I'll add spinach to the marinade to see how that comes out.

I loved this.  It's fast, easy and you need no special equipment and smelled so good.  Enjoy!

If you have leftovers, store the mushrooms and zucchini separately.  Put them together the next day.

Day 4: The 5th Challenge

Well, a few days ago I identified the 4 challenges I expected to encounter.  I'm adding a 5th that is pretty important.  I had to cook dinner for Bruce and Rob tonight.  Yes, they had a salad.  But I also made chicken and a side of sauteed potatoes and onions.  (I threw in some zucchini, too. mwahaha! They ate a vegetable.)  Well, I had to keep tasting the potatoes as they were cooking so I ended up eating about 1/2 cup of the concoction.  Yup, it was delicious - and warm.

And now at 8:00 p.m. I'm too tired to make my dinner.  Gotta figure this one out.

Day 3: Do I Hear 4?

My goal for the next few months is to be 80-90% raw.  So, to get there I'm shooting for 100%.  And that's just where I am after 3 days.

I knew that being at work would be a challenge.  I drank my smoothie in the car this morning.  I packed a beautiful salad for lunch.  I had some dehydrated kale for a snack.  Then I had one of my emergency raw snack bars for another snack.  Will finish yesterday's raw pasta for dinner.

I feel great and can't wait for Day 4!!

Day 2: Raw

So, I'm 100% raw since yesterday morning.  That includes dinner out last night (Sweet Tomatoes) and grocery shopping today (so many cheese samples).  I just popped 2 bunches of kale into the dehydrator and will make my raw pasta with marinara sauce for dinner.  I'll have enough for lunch tomorrow - back to work after a lovely holiday break.

Day 1: Happy New Year

Today's the day.  My transition has been going fairly well considering I've been about 60% raw over the past couple weeks.  Today I'll strive for 100% - the same tomorrow and beyond.  Actually, I love the raw foods that I've been eating.  So, the food is not my problem.  I've used these few weeks to identify my real challenges and figure out how to meet them.  

1)  More effective planning is really my biggest problem (duh!).  Lack of consistent meal planning all these years has meant pizzas or popcorn for dinner a few times too many.  So just because I looked, I found this very simple 1-page tool - a meal planner /shopping list.  If I plan my meals for the week and have the ingredients on hand, I can't make too many excuses.   You might find it helpful no matter what you eat.  Why haven't I been doing this all along?  I also signed up for weekly delivery of organic produce from Fresh Picks.  The produce has been beautiful and reasonably priced.  I'm even incorporating the weekly selections in my food planning.

2)  Variety has been a smaller challenge.  I'm planning to incorporate at least 2 new recipes a week in my menu planning.  

3)  Another challenge has been exercise.  I've been to the gym every morning for a week now (not so tough when I'm not working), either walking in the pool or taking an aqua aerobics class.  I also do my physical therapy in the water.  It feels great and I'm glad to have started moving again.  

4)  Restaurants are a killer.  I need to make a list of all restaurants near both home and work that have raw options.  Goodbye 5 Guys and Smokin' T's Barbecue.

4)  Work - 'nuf said.

I'm off to made a green/banana/apple/date smoothie and walk in the water.

Happy New Year to all!