Raw Goodness

Lately I've been dabbling a lot in raw and vegan food. This isn't a huge stretch for me, since I've been (mostly) vegetarian for 20 years, but it's still a shift. One of the biggest changes has been juicing. I never really understood the benefit of juicing veggies before. Basically, you get all the nutrients without having to put your body through the work of digestion. Because you're eliminating the fiber, you can consume much higher quantities of these nutrients. What you end up with is like super-charged vitamin water.



I've been juicing most mornings for about 2 weeks now, and I'm hooked. The combination of the physical lightness I'm feeling with the energy burst from the juice is addictive. I've been playing with all sorts of combinations, but usually throw in most of the following: 1 beet, 2 stalks celery, 1/2 cucumber, 3 carrots, 1 apple, 1 Meyer lemon, a handful of dark greens (beet, chard, spinach), parsley or cilantro, fresh ginger. Yum.



I've also discovered a fabulous tool for creating spiral “pasta” out of raw zucchini. It has passed the taste test of 3 discerning, little girls who actually preferred it to the wheat pasta we made as a back-up! I love it tossed with fresh, raw pesto, but for the girls I used olive oil, nutritional yeast, sea salt, hemp seeds, and a bit of fresh parmesan.





I'm beginning to dabble more with vegan and/or raw recipes, so look for those in the coming months. I can tell you this, in just 2 weeks, the extra “fromage” that's been around my middle since the France trip is melting away. That's not what got me started in this direction, but it certainly doesn't hurt!

Aw, nuts!

Some people are spiritual seekers. I am a nutritional seeker. Over the years I've dabbled in just about every (healthy) dietary variation out there—vegetarian, vegan, wheat-free, dairy-free, raw, macrobiotic—but I haven't really landed anywhere in particular. Mostly I eat a healthy, seafood-etarian diet and struggle with my love of dessert.

One thing that I've read about but never really understood is this business of soaking grains and nuts before you eat them. Seemed like an unnecessary complication and, frankly, a bit woo-woo. But over the weekend it was explained to me in a way that I finally understood.

Nuts and grains contain living enzymes. These enzymes provide vital nutrients for our bodies, and help with the digestion of these nutrients. When the nuts and grains have been sitting around dry (in stores, warehouses, our cupboards) for a while, the enzymes become less accessible to us. By pre-soaking, we reactivate them (sort of wake them up), thereby increasing the beneficial proteins, amino acids, etc. In effect, we make the food a "living" food again.

So last weekend I soaked my first batch of nuts. I happened to have a bag of walnuts that I purchased at Trader Joes some time ago. I dumped them into a bowl of filtered water for 8 hours and then spread them on a cookie sheet. I chose to dry them in my oven on low heat (200F) for a few hours, but you can just air dry them to keep them totally raw. Super easy.

Do you soak nuts and/or grains? What has your experience been?

Going green

Ok, I know it doesn't look green in the photo, but it's packed full of greens, and that's what matters!

I've been learning a lot lately from my friend, Ami, about raw food. She's a mostly-raw vegan, and a wealth of information. After a lifetime of smoothie-drinking, someone finally told me I could throw greens in there! With the weather finally being so summer-like, I'm loving drinking green smoothies pretty much daily. I'm fairly certain that going raw isn't for me, but I do think a diet of whole food, with as many fresh fruits and veggies is the way to go.

Here's what I start with for a large (24oz ) smoothie:

• 2 bananas (I prefer frozen, but fresh work fine. To freeze, simply peel and break into chunks. Store in a freezer bag).
  
• Assorted fresh or frozen fruits (I usually combine at least two of the following: mango, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, açai, raspberries)
  
• Handful of spinach, chard, or beet greens
  
• Generous dollop of nonfat, plain yogurt (I prefer Nancy's)
  

Other extras I may add in any combination:

• Spirulina
  
• Whey protein powder (I'm interested in trying hemp next)
  
• Ground flax seeds
  
• Goji berries (added on top after blending)

This week I'm doing some experimenting to see how I feel if I shift my diet to about half raw. I'll post results, as well as the best recipes, soon.

If you're raw-curious (I think I just made that up!), definitely check out Ami's website, as well as that of raw-food guru Ani Phyo. And let me know if you've dabbled and/or have any recipes or tips to share.