Defining Moments...
Its been many months since my last post...mostly because I have been taking a trip through "flex-a-tarian-ism" trying to find a way to manage my eating habits, my weight and my relationship with food. I'm really not sure of the progress I have made. Although I can say that I have learned that exceptions do not always work in my favor and that old habits can be very hard to break...
I have also learned that my lifestyle is very busy and takes me to many places where eating a HIGH RAW diet can be extremely limiting and frustrating. Vegan in 2011 is much more do-able and in all honestly more fun but can also be a very precarious for a foodie like me because I have found myself in more moments than I may care to share saying French Fries??/ Well French Fries are vegan...and lets not for get i live in a city where Vegan Bakeries are the new SEXY...its all so tempting and quite frankly delish...but do you eat 2 wonder buns from Baby Cakes just because they are vegan...never mind the caloric intake? Decisions decisions...
As some of you may know I fell pray to an injury in my right shoulder last August...I have been struggling with the ins and outs of what that means to my workout regime. And last summer I was so committed to working out EVERY DAY....90 day weight workout with ChaLEAN -Extreme followed up by a 30 day Bikram Yoga challenge to not working out at ALL ...eating RAW allows you to slack a little bit in the workout department and for me i was able to lose and maintain a weight that left me feeling focused and empowered dare I say sexy?
But once December hit...a slippery slope of exceptions and UN- focused decisions left me feeling a bit out of whack in the eating department...by January I learned that I had bone spurs in my shoulder that would need to be operated on...my workouts became non-existent and my journey with food became a meandering path of guilty pleasures!
Blah blah..re-reading this it seems like the anti-thesis of finding any love at all...but that;s not entirely true...I mean this is about a journey...life happens and you have to learn how to make a decision, embrace that decision and move on...and one thing that Weight Watchers taught me was that there is ALWAYS a choice...
I'm gonna end it here for tonight...no one wants to read a post the length of War & Peace...more tomorrow!
CHEESY KALE CHIPS
I finally got up the nerve and (found the time) to baptize my new Excalibur Dehydrator with my favorite RAW snack Kale Chips. I googled some recipes and found two that I liked- RAWmazing (one of my favorite RAW blogs) and I stumbled onto a new blog Pure2Raw. Links to their recipes are featured here:
Because exploring RAW foods it ultimately about finding tastes and flavors that you love I chose to take direction from both of these recipes and the results in my opinion where DELICIOUS -- my anti-veggie meat-a-tarian husband even ate some for breakfast- now that's a testimonial!
I will share that Kale chips are not difficult to make but as with most RAW foods do require prep and are rather time consuming - like soaking your cashews and of course the dehydration process which can take 4-8 hours.
Here is what I used
1- extremely large bunch of Kale (washed and rinsed well and then cut into pieces)
Seasoning
1 Cup of Cashews (soaked)
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast (easily found at your local health food store)
2 TBSP of Olive Oil (I added a bit more)
1/3 Cup of Filtered Water
1-2 tsp of Paprika
1 tsp of Cayenne
1-tsp of Himalayan Salt
1-tsp of Garlic Powder (I have a tough time with RAW garlic)
Mix all the ingredients in the food processor until creamy. Massage the mixture onto your Kale leaves and place on your Teflex or Parchment paper which ever you use to line your dehydrator trays.
Place trays in the dehydrator for 4-8 hours at 115 degrees.
So thank you to Susan Powers and to Michelle and Lori for their inspiration!
Posted
from New York, NY
RAW holiday
> I just got this RAW food book from my brother and sister in law for Chanukah. I haven't made anything yet but stay tuned. Flipping through the recipes this looks like a great resource especially for someone just getting into RAW food prep or a RAW lifestyle >
> > > > > Sent from my iPhone
Posted
from New York, NY
Dear NETI Love POT
- I can only imagine that those of you reading this are thinking "its really in bad taste to post about bodily fluids on a blog dedicated to food". Well you are probably right but in the truest depth of needing to over share about finding the love...I guess love me love my mucus. There I said it (or in this cased typed it).
I have long heard about the magical wonders of the Neti Pot...the worlds best known remedy for all aliments sinus related. Seems a bit strange though growing up on Robitussin and Sudafed to think that by simply yet disturbingly pouring water or saline into your nose that congestion could vanish just like that.
Since my July departure from SAD (Standard American Diet) (and if you ask my mom or dad they'd say that departure came long ago) I have tried to be more cognizant of what chemicals I put into my body. Especially when it comes to OTC medicines including ibuprofen. sorbital and artificial sweeteners. So last week when the flu finally found me I was looking for something to help ease my congestion and cold/flu like symptoms...ENTER THE NETI POT.
I find I get a black and white response from this little plastic pot of relief...you either SWEAR by it or think just a mere thought bubble of such is just DISGUSTING. I have to say from my experience i can understand and attest to both opinions... it is what the naysayers claim as disgusting but damn does it work. I SWEAR!
How it Works-
from Wikipedia
Neti pots flush out the nasal cavities by using gravity to draw the flow of saline. Basically- you mix salt and luke warm water together in the pot itself then after positioning your head over your sink and cocking it to one side you basically pour water into one side of your nose and let it rush out the other...washing away debris, mucus .and the like out of the nasal passages and into your sink (that's the disgusting part) Then you blow your nose.
I can't help but think its sounds a bit like something featured on an episode of Jackass but simply and honestly it works...I used it one night before going to bed and woke up well rested with clear nasal passages! And by using it everyday consecutively my cold was gone in just a few days. And allergy sufferers it can be used everyday to keep you breathing sniffle free.
In conclusion Neti Pot - I think I love you...you may think its disgusting but it SNOT!
The photos showcase the two Neti Pots I own...I bought one and then forgot to pack it, so I had to buy another. Next time I wont leave home without it.
RAW TACOS!!
Always looking to expand my RAW food culinary skills I have been spending hours watching how to videos. THANK YOU YOUTUBE & GOOGLE...and for this recipe Ani Phyo (she is a Culinary RAW genius) she makes everything seem so simple.
For this RAW Taco recipe I ad libbed a little because I really enjoy a little chili powder every now again...so if you decide to follow Ani's original recipe you will notice that difference
You can check out the original recipe here
I followed her recipe to the t with the exception of adding a few teaspoons of Chili powder to the nut meat.
The best parts of making this dish?
- Its so freakin' easy to make...as long as you can remember to soak your almonds and cashews it literally takes about ten minutes tops and you have a delicious meal.
- You only need basic ingredients like Nuts, Olive Oil, Lemon juice, Garlic and Spices
- You can also use RAW chips and olives and make RAW-CHOS
- It makes enough so you can have it for lunch the next day
- The hubs loved it! (he is a meat-a-tarian)
The most difficult aspect to RAW foods besides food combing is figuring out your palette. Also dealing with RAW ingredients is so interesting because ingredients that are natural are always slightly different...unlike say a pop tart which always tastes/looks the same. Be patient with yourself and trust your gut and dont be afraid to add or subtract flavors that you enjoy and have fun!
Do Vegans have more fun?
I went from a veggie chicken and fish eater to RAW foodist within 11 days...at first it was a pretty seamless transition...as with any new lifestyle change the first weeks and even months are always like a new wardrobe! You want to show it off (esp going RAW you get a new body pretty quickly) but as well all know life happens...and although I am still HIGH RAW and am loving it sometimes its nice to remember or in my case find out how the other Veg-heads live.
Recently I went on a work trip to LA...which would seemingly be an easy peasy place to stick to a RAW diet...however I actually didn't find that to be the case...I was staying at a hotel attending work meetings and although there were many fresh fruits and veggies available heading out to the local Spanish restaurant for the "group" dinner didn't leave me many options...or any really.
However I did find that a VEGAN lifestyle is very easy to maintain in Beverly Hills and so I decided to go solo for dinner one night and head to Real Food Daily . I guess I can be naive and unassuming because I was expecting a quiet little cafe and I walked into a bustling full on VEGAN restaurant that barely had a free seat in the house! It was so hip it hurt...
The menu offers an onslaught of options for non dairy gluten free lovers...I ordered the Not-Chos and the Wabi Sabi Rolls (offered as small plates to share) Both were delicious (of course my immediate response was to DIG in full force)...but when you are usually eating on RAW cuisine which can be very rich in flavor in its own right...Vegan food is rich on a whole other level...Real Tortilla Chips? Black Beans? TOFU? Holy Guacamole batman...my body didn't know what hit it! And of course if you gonna go cooked you cant go home without sampling a little Vegan Cupcake action, right?
So I also ordered the Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing...I'll just stop right there...
To sum this babbling brook up there are more options for a Vegan but is it more fun? Well not necessarily but every once in a while its certainly a nice treat!
Real Food Daily
414 N. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone:
(310) 289-9910
(310) 289-9911 fax
Hours:
Open seven days a week: 11:30 a.m. -10:00 p.m.
SUNDAY BRUNCH 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Juice of the Day
Being out of town and away from my local juice spots makes a girl feel all giddy when she finally makes her way home and stumbles back into her fav haunt. (holy run on sentence bat man)
Anyway after a weekend in AC, NJ I was excited to make quick stop at The Juice Press. I decided to venture out of my normal Perfect Pear Juice cause a bottle of WHY NO caught my eye. (I guess thats what happens after a weekend with family HA!)
Just pure organic cold pressed undiluted grapes.
Umm it's delicious...
The Juice Press-my new no where near my neighborhood juice haunt
I wanted to take a minute to share a new NYC RAW spot that has quickly become one of my weekly (almost daily) watering holes. Its called The Juice Press and despite its tiny or as some may say cozy interior its bursting with personality and with juicy goodness.
The Juice Press is nestled on 1st Street on the cusp of the east village this little jem has a menu 4 pages long filled with juices, remedies, smoothies and elixirs. They also have pre-made lunch items like walnut paste sammie (made with Ezekiel bread), turnip ravioli and my favorite Kale Avocado Salad...ITS TO DIE FOR! The serve it up with a raw spicy chipotle mayo dressing and spicy flax seed crackers...YUM!
If you are more of a sweet tooth...they offer RAW oatmeal and chia seed pudding, chocolate truffles and acai super mix...and if your like my hubby and cant have a meal without a little coffee they offer a cold pressed coffee that they will mix with dates and almond milk for a caffeinated treat!
My juices of choice so far you ask? the Perfect Pear (mixes organic pears with a touch of ginger) Drink Your Salad - now where has this juice been all my life? Its just like spicy bloody Mary mix (sans Vodka -sorry friends) carrot, celery, tomato, beet, parsley, kale, spinach, lemon, onion powder, garlic juice, cayenne, and mineral rich sea salt. HOLLA! Their coconut water is deee-lish and like I mentioned earlier I cant get enough of they Kale Avocado Salad...
The do offer a juice cleanse, a meal plan and best of all they deliver....to my office which is like the best news EVER!
Anyway- here are few pictures to get you all excited so go ahead and get your juice on!
The Juice Press
70 East 1st Street
btwn 1st & 2nd Aves
212-777-0034
When high RAW goes mostly RAW
This past week has been pretty rough on the old digestive system...who knows why! Eating RAW is so amazing in SO MANY WAYS but living in a city like NY and being on the go as much as I am, I am often left to the devices of local delivery salad joints that deal with thousands of people each day...its hard to say (unless it is a strictly raw place) how often they are cleaning their "juicers" I mean who knows it could have been a myriad of things that lead me to a "stomach bug" kinda feeling...
For most of my life, those kinds of upsets are dealt with by drinking flat ginger ale, eating toast and popping Imodium...not exactly on the RAW Food Lifestyle shopping list...but when life throws your curve balls you gotta adapt...so here is my mostly raw alternative...
2 slices of Ezekiel Sprouted bread by Food for Life (and because the bread is sprouted it makes a complete protein 4 grams per slice)
1 tsp of Coconut Oil on each slice
1 TBSP of Raw Almond Butter on each slice
A swirl of RAW Agave Nectar (great replacement for Jelly)
A sprinkle of Flax seeds...
This foodie loves a hearty breakfast and when a juice or smoothie just instead what the palette or stomach wants...this quick fix with a small Zico coconut water does the trick without wreaking havoc on my RAW food efforts
Rejuvenate with Rejuvelac
After my RAW Foods Basics class at RAW Soul - I was inspired to try a few techniques like soaking and sprouting that are essential keys to a RAW diet. My first attempt with soaking and sprouting is with making Rejuvelac - a drink that aids in digestion which can be made by fermenting whole wheat, rye, millet or quinoa
I bought some soft wheat at a local health food store...and soaked 1/2 cup of wheat with 1 cup of filtered water for about 6-8 hours. Once the wheat was soaked I then drained off the water and placed the wheat into a colander over a bowl to begin the sprouting process. Rinsing the seeds every 8-10 hours and lightly covering with a paper towel (good ventilation is essential or you could get mold- which happened to me on my first attempt :()
When you start to see little tails growing you know your seeds have sprouted. YAY!
OK..so the rest is pretty easy, I think. Add one cup of sprouted seeds and 1 1/2 cups filtered water into your Vita Mix or blender and blend for 5-10 seconds...pour into a large glass container, fill the rest of the container with filtered water (about 1 gallon) cover with cheese cloth and let ferment for 3 days!
Now you can add fruits or nuts to your Rejuvelac - I added strawberries (to make a strawberry soda) to mine so it will look a bit pinker in the photo...but more on that later...now I have to wait three days for the fermenting to take place! Check back for updates.
for more information on this crazy looking concoction here is the definition as found on Wikipedia
Rejuvelac is a general term for a fermented liquid used to improve digestion of food. Rejuvelac is prepared using whole wheat, rye, quinoa, oats, barley, millet, buckwheat, rice and other types of grain. Best results have been found using wheat, rye, and quinoa. Rejuvelac can be consumed as a digestive aid and used as a ‘starter’ for other fermented foods such as raw nut and seed sauces, cheeses, and Essene Breads. Rejuvelac contains eight of the B vitamins, vitamins E and K, and a variety of proteins, dextrines, carbohydrates, phosphates and amylases. It is rich in enzymes that assist in digestion. During the fermentation lactic acid is also being produced.[1][2]
Rejuvelac is a raw food made by sprouting a grain and then soaking the sprouted grain in water for about two days at room temperature and then drinking the liquid. A second batch can be made from the same sprouts, this time requiring only about one day. A third batch is possible but the flavor may be disagreeable.[3]
