Going on a raw-food-preparation binge today and yesterday. Yesterday I made flax crackers, tricolor salad, and guacamole. Today I'm making "not tune pate", walnut pate which will be made into "not meatballs", vanilla creme sauce which will be made into parfaits with chocolate mousse (doesn't that sound yummy?!), and almond milk, and almond creme which will be the base for vanilla ice creme (i've been thinking of raw ice cream in this summer heat for a few days now). Today's recipes are all from Jennifer Cornbleet's book "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People". Awesome book. Yesterday's recipes are from Raw Rose's Uncookbook, which is the only raw cookbook I own to-date. The others all come from the local library, but judging by the number of holds on them all, raw food is becoming quite the trend!
I also tried the winning chia recipe off Angela Stokes' blog (http://rawreform.blogspot.com/), and I apologize to the submitter as I can't remember her name right now, but it was quite good (I just got a lb of chia seeds & some maca powder in my raw food order yesterday: I order from realrawfood.com in Naramata). I made a half-batch, soaking 1c of chia seeds overnight, and then blending with 1/2 tbsp of maca powder, 1/2 tbsp of raw cacao powder, and i put 1 tbsp or so of raw agave nectar b/c the recipe called for yacon syrup and i didn't even know what that was, so i substituted. oh, and ~ 1/4 c of raspberries (said the recipe). and i added a good size handful of huckleberries (probably 1/2 c, and yes, from our yard). It made about 3 cups of raspberry chocolate chia pudding, about 2 or 3 servings.
It's challenging if you're already hungry, go looking for food, and there are raw ingredients around, but nothing prepared. Those are the moments I'm most likely to opt for the frozen vegan pizza in the freezer or something else I'm trying to avoid. I really need to make a meal plan and prepare food ahead of time so I'm not caught in that situation. Having non-raw food in the house sometimes creates major struggles for me.
Here's where I come from, in relation to food - I am told that as an infant, my mother didn't feel she had enough milk to supply me with breastmilk, so within a couple months (I'm not sure exactly how long it was, but I think it was about 4-6 weeks) I was on formula. Apparently I would suck that bottle dry quick as a wink, and it was "like I was starving". I gained weight very quickly and at 3 or 4 months, the dr recommended I start solids. So here I am on solids already and eating quickly, like I was starving, gaining quickly. As a child, I was hungry. Constantly. If I skipped a meal my blood sugar'd be all over the place and I'd be moody and feel nauseous and ill. It seemed to me that there was never enough food. It was like I didn't have an "off" button. Even at a buffet, I'd eat and eat and eat until that awful feeling of over-full-ness would hit. I was constantly trying to sneak cookies and food. I grew up on the SAD, too, and struggled with weight issues. Actually, when I look at pictures, I don't think I look overweight. Classic example of this is a group photo of my friends and I when I was 17; I remember at the time the picture was taken being horrified and feeling like I was "huge" when in fact, I look at that picture now and am amazed at what great shape I was in, but how distorted my body image was. Anyways at 13 my mother put me on my first diet. In my 20s, out on my own for the first time and without an ability to say no to food, I ate and ate until I was well into the 200's and it has only been since going vegan (cold turkey, no pun intended) in April 2006 that I began to finally beat some of the food issues that have been plaguing me, seemingly, since birth. I lost 50+ lbs and now, having gone raw vegan 3 1/2 months ago, I've lost another 20 lbs. And I feel like mentally, I am finally able to confront some of the demons in terms of food issues that I've been hiding behind.
At tai chi class last night, I said that I feel like I'm finally able to focus on the inside - the mechanics of the hips and spine turning, and not think about the outside physical-ness of my body, and when we focus on the spine turning or the bone alignment or what-have-you, we are all identical. Sure my bones are inherently larger than my sister, although we're roughly the same height. I said that to my ds one day - if you took all the bones from my body and weighed them against someone else the same height, my bones might weigh more - they are dense. I've ALWAYS been this way and it's not something to try and change. It just IS. I'm solid. Always have been. Having solid bones does not mean I'm overweight. It means I'm never going to be a waif, that's all.
My nephew is 3. I see some similar tendencies (food issues) arising in him. Even as early as a year and a half ago, if he had a bowl of, say, grapes, in front of him, he would stuff them into his mouth as fast as possible (not chewing them) and soon his mouth would be SO full of food, he couldn't possibly chew, and he'd suddenly look at you - surprised! - and wonder what to do. So his parents would keep their hand over his food, and check that he had chewed and swallowed one bite before allowing him the next bite. What is this all about? Why is it that some of us don't have "off" buttons? Did he & I die in another lifetime of starvation?
I am very grateful to raw food, and all those who have supported me along this journey, as I am finally able to begin to understand what food has meant for me throughout my life, and to process the relationship with food I now have. So thanks. :)
Tricolor salad:
2 cobs fresh corn, kernels cut off
1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 c chopped red onion
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped fine
1 tsp sea salt
Stir together & serve
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