Carrots & Currants

May 15, 2010
Carrots & Currants

My take on Carrots & Currants

This is what I took to the L.A. raw vegan pot luck on May 1.  The recipe is from my favorite raw recipe book: Living Cuisine by Renne Loux Underkoffler.  I know, I know, I took my darn sweet time posting it.  Better late than never! The day I made it I was out of currants AND flax oil.  I substituted dried blueberries and hemp seed oil.  It still turned out fabulous.

Carrots & Currants
Serves 2-4

3 cups finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup currants or raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dill
1 1/2 teaspoons nama shoyu
2 teaspoons flax oil

Toss ingredients until well coated.  Serve with love!

Progress not perfection

May 13, 2010

Green Smoothie (which isn't green)

Wow! Has it really been over two weeks since I posted? Life has trumped blogging as it sometimes happens.  Things are going relatively well in my raw world.  I’ve been high raw for several weeks even managing to stay vegan while helping a dear friend run the Grilled Cheese Invitational.  I’ve been enjoying many fresh greens from my wife’s garden.   I’m so fortunate to live in Southern California where I can have garden produce right outside my door throughout the year.  Mostly I’ve been doing green smoothies like this luscious one from this morning.  Best way I know to get in those greens.

I have a back log of recipes to share.  I’ll probably be busy with life for a few more weeks yet but stay tuned for some yumminess.  Also, I’ve been reading “Becoming Raw” and it’s an incredible resource on raw vegan nutrition.  I may be able to find some time to review it.   Short version? Get it, it’s worth it!

PS – the L.A. raw food potluck was way fun.  Meeting Dhru, Courtney, Debbie, and Mike was incredible – such an energetic lot!  I look forward to running into the L.A.-based folks at other local events.

Pot Lucky!

April 27, 2010
Spinach garden

Spinach garden

I’m going to an L.A. raw foodie potluck this upcoming Saturday hosted by Dhru (We Like it Raw), Courtney Pool (Radical Radiance), and Puki Freeberg.  I’m nervous! I suffer from the shyness & insecurity when it comes to meeting strangers, especially when they’re famous (at least in the raw world).  I know it’s ridiculous.  I’ll be repeating self-love mantras all week. I’m sure it will end up being wonderful and it will help keep me motivated on this high-raw path.

I’m going to make carrot & currant salad from my all time favorite raw culinary book:  Living Cuisine by Renne Loux (Underkoffler). Simple, healthy, delicious and my non-raw family love it.   I need to keep this as low-stress as possible.  I’ll be sure to take my camera and let you know how it goes.

Speaking of stress, I’ve got a lot less of it now that my wife’s garden is producing.  No need to go to the farmers market and fight the crowds.  Check out the spinach patch!  Guess what I’m using in my green smoothie today!  Going to be a brown smoothie though. Spinach + orange = brown.  Ah well, it’s still good for me.

Rejuvelac

April 15, 2010
rejuvelac

Rejuvelac - Courtesy Rejuvenation Company

I usually make my own Rejuvelac.  It’s easy, although it’s not instant (learn how here).  It takes a day or two to sprout the grains and wait for the fermentation process to take its course.   I’ve been meaning to make up a batch since I found my motivation by partnering up with my friend K.  I take probiotics in my usual supplement stack but as somebody with IBS symptoms, I can use all the help I can get.

Yesterday I found bottled Rejuvelac from  the Rejuvenation Company at my local Whole Foods.  It’s not cheap (about $2.83 for 8 fl oz), especially compared to making it from scratch (pennies a serving!).  It is, however, a nice option when you’re waiting for a home made batch to cure or if you’re on the road.

I’ve been making Rejuvelac for years.  I’ve never tasted it made by any body  else so I was eager to compare the commercial version with my own.  Verdict? More tart and effervescent than home made.  It’s likely due to the fact that it’s a “live food.”  Things which ferment just keep on fermenting.  Over time the taste will become stronger.  Apart from the acid-tang the commercial version tasted the same.  Rejuvelac is pretty neutral and mild in flavor.   It’s good to know I’ve been making mine right.

I’d recommend this brand with a caveat.  I’d prefer if the bottles were glass instead of plastic.  At least they “hand-blow” their bottles themselves which they claim reduces carbon emissions from having bottles shipped for manufacture.  They also point out the the type of plastic they use (PETE 1) takes less energy than glass to recycle.  That may be true but I re-use glass bottles (so no energy taken at all) and I’d rather not have the potential, no matter how small.,  for toxic compounds to enter my body from the plastic.

There’s no getting away from pollutants in this modern world so I’m not letting the plastic bottle stop me from drinking this.  I’m going to keep it to a minimum, however.   Besides, it’s just way more fun to make my own.

Rawk on Baltimore!

April 13, 2010

Homemade Buckwheat Granola

It’s easy to be raw vegan on a business trip to Baltimore, MD — at least if you’re staying in the harbor area, as I am currently. There’s a Whole Foods literally 50 feet around the corner from my hotel and a vegetarian/vegan/raw restaurant within a 15 minute walk.  I’ve eaten at Liquid Earth both days of my trip, and it was fabulous.  Of course, I brought plenty of raw staples to tide me over on the plane ride here (hummus & veggies, an apple, almonds, raisins, and some home made sprouted buckwheat granola).

It’s been as simple as replenishing my fruit/veg/nuts/hummus supply at the market and wandering into a restaurant and ordering up the goodies.    If only all business trips would be this easy (I’m looking at you Detroit!).

I’ve enjoyed two amazing juices.  The “O.C Loco” was a super yummy combo of carrots, celery, apple, parsley, and spirulina.  I declined the salt-rimmed glass since I was taking it to go.  It was very sweet and I imagine a salty balance would make the juice even better.  “X-ray Eyes” consists of carrot, spinach, beets, and parsley with liquid multi-vitamin.  It was also super-sweet (no surprise with carrot AND beet).

I also had their seaweed salad, a simple mix of cucumbers, hijiki, enoki mushroom, Asian radish and shredded carrot dressed simply in oil and tamari (that’s all I could taste, at least).  I liked it and wished I could have squeezed on some of the sliced lemon garnish.   I saved those for my plane ride home.  I grabbed a kale and hemp seed salad from the Whole Foods and I know I’ll want lemon on it.

The service at Liquid Earth was friendly and efficient.  They even gave me a to-go shot glass of lemon juice for me to supplement the lemon slices I had palmed.

I’m a happy gal.  I haven’t really eaten well since partnering up with my friend K to get more accountability in my diet  I’ve eaten so cleanly for the three days of this trip that my usual get-over-the-initial-hump period has been painless.  I’m so busy with work meetings I haven’t had the time to feel my typical grouchy detox .

Now I need to consider motivational rewards.  If I keep going like this I think I’m going to get my reward at the next two-week check-in.

Bad Behavior has blocked 106 access attempts in the last 7 days.