Alissa and Annie - NOT Julie and Julia

[anniez]

I've been really inspired by Renee and her 60 Days commitment, and now by Greenie and her 90 Days (on the Diet area of Raw Food Talk). So, I've decided to un-cook my way through Alissa's book! I intend to try at least one recipe a day. I know there will be days when I won't be able to do it (life has a way of interfering with my plans sometimes), but that's the intention.

I won't be starting with the first recipe and working through, because I want to be sure I don't have too many nut recipes in a row. I'm used to eating pretty simply, and don't want to sabotage my weight loss. Also, I like to use chia and hemp because they are such "super" foods, and Alissa doesn't use either of those - or at least not that I've seen.

I will post the recipe I intend to make for the day, and then will give my evaluation of it the next day. Unfortunately, I can't post photos. (At age 66 I can't bear the thought of trying to master a digital camera.....I have enough trouble making my way around this forum!) Anybody with camera skills who will join me and post photos?

I am certainly open to suggestions for a recipe of the day, so if there's something you've been wanting to try, speak up.

OK, for today:

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms - Pg 289
Almond Milk - Pg 535 (need this for the next recipe)
Waldorf Salad - Pg 449

Well, if I'm going to do this, I better get myself to the supermarket and get busy!

Hope you'll join me!

Annie

[Aleesha Sattva]

great idea Annie... I look forward to reading about your journey!

[revdrcyn]

Awesome idea! Btw, do you have children or grandchildren who might help with the photos?

[Moretta]

So excited and can't wait to follow your journey.

[soulstar]

Hi Annie,

I also think this is a great idea. There was something so special and amazingly inspiring about Renee's 60 Day shared journey of uncooking from ALissa's Living on Live Foods book. It brought so many of the recipes to life. Now when I look through her book, the recipes jump off of the page, because I have heard so much more about them from Renee. Her photos were fabulous, too.;)

It's funny how easy it is to get stuck in a rut and make the same handful of recipes over and over and over....:rolleyes:

I have already made several recipes from ALissa's book, thanks to Renee's inspiration, that I had always thought would be way too complex for my simple uncooking style. I can't wait to be inspired by your experience as well.

Have a great time, I know you will!
Elena

[ReneeH]

Thanks you guys so much for the compliments!!! :o

Annie, I'm gonna hop on your wagon too!!! The recipes that you make that I HAVEN'T made, I'll make and post a photo for you!!! I'll let you lead, though... I'll just follow behind you!!! :)

I've made the Pesto Mushrooms and Almond Milk before. But, I haven't made the Waldorf Salad!!! So, I'll plan to make that today!!!

[anniez]

First, no, the kids and grands are too far away to help with photos.

OK, yesterday was an amazing success. BTW: I am halving all of the recipes.

I made the Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms, pg 289 first because they had to spend some time in the dehyd. Quick and easy and really good. Didn't look so great, but tasted good. I had some left and will pop them in dehyd to warm up. Also, I will use less oil next time because the stuffing was pretty oily and a lot of it pooled in the bottom of the bowl and I left it there.

Waldorf Salad Pg 449, Almond Milk, Pg 535, Mayo Pg 323
Renee mentioned in one of her posts that she made several recipes without washing the blender, and I decided to plan ahead for this recipe.

Because I was going to be processing a lot of almonds, I started off making almond butter in the blender. I will need the almond butter for some recipes later. Then I made the almond milk. (I dehydrated the almond meal to use later.) I left enough almond milk in the blender to make the mayo, then left enough mayo in the blender to make the dressing. Whew! By the time I got to this point, the blender was a whiz to clean!

I chopped up the salad ingredients, added the dressing, and wow, this is seriously good stuff!

I have mushrooms and salad left, so today I am only making the Rolled Nori Crackers on Pg 349.

I have some almond milk, and mayo left, so today I will find ways to use them and will let you know what I've done.

I'm having a lots of fun planning, prepping and eating! Anybody along for the ride?

Thanks, Renee and Greenie, for the inspiration.

Annie

[anniez]

Thanks you guys so much for the compliments!!! :o

Annie, I'm gonna hop on your wagon too!!! The recipes that you make that I HAVEN'T made, I'll make and post a photo for you!!! I'll let you lead, though... I'll just follow behind you!!! :)

I've made the Pesto Mushrooms and Almond Milk before. But, I haven't made the Waldorf Salad!!! So, I'll plan to make that today!!!

Hey, Renee! We were both posting at the same time, so I just saw your post. Hooray! Photos. A collaborative effort!

You will love the Waldorf Salad! So will your kids.

Thanks for coming along with me!

Annie

[ReneeH]

Well, here's my Waldorf Salad! It's good...o.k... Not one of my favorites, but good. My kids didn't like it, so not sure I'll make it again, though...

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/WaldorfSalad.jpg

[anniez]

I'm on to Day 3 and Recipe 6 from Alissa's Book.

Renee, thanks for the photo of the Waldorf Salad. I'm sorry you weren't as crazy about it as I am! I really love it, but maybe it's because I grew up on Waldorf Salad. My mom made it year round, and it will be a staple recipe for me! It was also quite good on the 2nd day.

Yesterday I made the Rolled Nori Crackers and they are still dehydrating, but I can tell that this is a recipe I won't be making again. First, they are kind of labor intensive, what with rolling each one individually. Frankly, I don't want to go to all that work for just me. I'm not sure I made them correctly. The recipe says to cut the nori sheet in half, and I cut them in half horizontally, but maybe they were meant to be cut vertically. But if they were cut vertically, that would make them really thin. Also, the recipe says to use 2 Tbsp of filling per nori sheet, but that was way too much for the size of my nori - I wound up using about 3/4 Tbsp. I've tasted a couple of them, and I'm not loving them! There is so much food that I do really love, that I don't want to waste appetite on something I'm not so crazy about!

Today I need to use some of my leftovers, so I'm making Corn Chowder on Pg. 356. This will use some almond milk and some avo left from Day 1. I'll have it with some of the Rolled Nori Crackers. I have some leftover Mayo and I'll use that as a dip for some raw veggies - celery, carrots and bell peppers.

I'm having fun on this ride!

Annie

[ReneeH]

WOW!!! What a DIFFERENCE a DAY makes!!! I let my Waldorf Salad marinate overnite and BAM!!!! The flavors came together and it's DELICIOUS!!!! SOOOO much better today!!!! :D O.k., NOW I see what you're talking about!!!!

Yea, I wasn't crazy about the Nori crackers either... the funny thing is, after a while, they kinda "grew" on me and I started to "crave" them!!!! :p I haven't made them again, but I STILL remember the taste of them! That Nori is SOMETHIN' ELSE!!! It REALLY stays with you!!!

Alissa's Corn Chowder is one of my Favorites!!! My kids ASK for it!!! You'll probably LOVE that!!! I like to put it in the dehydrator and warm it up...or you could microwave the bowl for 30 seconds or so, then AFTER the bowl is warm, pour the Corn Chowder in it...it warms FAST!!!

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/AlissasCornChowder.jpg

That's a good idea with the Mayo Dip!!! I'll take some with me to work with some Carrots/Celery and try that!!! Thanks for the tip!!!

[anniez]

A big thanks, Renee, for the photo. Yes, the Corn Chowder was amazing! I would say it's a definite warmer weather dish, though, so those of you in the colder weather might want to wait until next summer. Since the fresh corn season is about finished, I might try it with frozen organic corn. Any opinions on using frozen veggies. I know it's not optimal, since they've been blanched, but I'm wondering if you think it's acceptable on occasion. I know there's at least one recipe in the book that calls for frozen corn.

And I'm glad you wound up liking the Waldorf Salad. I thought it was really good on the 2nd day, too. I left some for the 2nd day on purpose to see if it would be good, and now that I know it keeps, I will make a larger quantity.

OK, for today:

Oranges

Skin Repair Juice P 543

I still have some mayo left and think it probably needs to be used today, so I will be making "Eggless Salad." This has become one of my staples. I got the recipe on this board and I really like it. So, since it's not in the book, I am using the mayo as the base, and I will add lots of chopped cauliflower and celery, and eat it rolled in romaine leaves. When I started this process of un-cooking every recipe in Alissa's book, I thought a lot of my favorites would be on hiatus for the duration, so I'm really glad I thought of this way to use the last of the mayo.

I love the challenge I've set for myself because telling all of you what I'm doing is keeping me accountable. Also, I'm having to get more creative than I usually do, since I need to be using leftovers and telling you how I'm doing it.

Also, the recipe for the filling for Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms is also given in the book as Gus's Pesto, so I'm on recipe 8 with the Skin Repair Juice.

Have a great day!

Annie

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie!!!

I made 3 of Alissa's Breads today: Zucchini, Carrot/Raisin, and Banana Nut!!! I haven't made the Skin Repair Juice, so I'll see if I have the ingredients and if I do I'll make it before I go to work tonight and post a photo for you!

I've only had fruit today so far...Gonna have a smoothie on the way to work and take something with me for my trip!

You're doing GREAT!!! I'm so Proud of you!!! Keep making the more simplier recipes the way that you're doing so that you can ease into making the more complicated ones!!!

GO ON Girl!!!!

Hugs,
Nee'

[smasty]

It's awesome you guys are doing this! I'm following along every day. I have a bajillion raw cookbooks, so I've only made a few of Alissa's items.
Sue

[anniez]

Thanks for the encouragement, Renee. I'm really having fun and I appreciate your help with photos.

Sue, why don't you join us? Alissa's recipes are so good! I, too, have a lot of raw food books, but I am having a lot of fun working from just one. I have 2 copies of Alissa's book because I have 2 homes, and when I came to the winter home and was following Renee's thread, I realized I had to have Alissa's book for this home, too.

I am staying with the simple recipes because I am opening this home for the winter and pretty preoccupied with that. Probably in another week I'll have more time for food prep.

OK, yesterday:

Oranges
Green Smoothie
Skin Repair Juice
Eggless Egg Salad made with leftover mayo

My post from yesterday details the Eggless Egg Salad, which isn't in the book but I used leftover mayo. Yesterday was really the last day to use the mayo - it was close to being done for. 4 days is really the outside limits for it - it was still really good on Day 3, though. I also added the other half of the red pepper left from the Skin Repair Juice.

Skin Repair Juice - this was OK, I didn't really love it like I do most juices. I juiced the cuke with the peel on and wonder if I should have peeled it. I will definitely try it again, though. Does anybody have an opinion about cuke peel when juicing?

Today I still have some almond milk that I need to use up, so I have chosen the Recipes for today with that in mind.

Recipe 9 Creamy Pea Soup Pg 357

Recipe 10 Banana Nut Drink Pg 539

I am a real fan of soups, and will be sorry when I've worked my way through all of those recipes.

I'd really like to hear from someone about cuke peel.

Till tomorrow,

Annie

[joya]

Hi Annie :)

Just wanted to say, I've been following along too. This is a great thread. I might join every now and then, if that's okay. I recently got Alissa's cookbook, and have been working my way through it as well. So far I've made the Fettucini Alfredo, Collard Wraps, Alissa's Dressing, and the Banana Ice Cream. Next on tap is the Spicy Fries, and Broccoli Soup! I love to cook, and now I'm loving to un-cook.

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie!!!

I wanted to do the Pea Soup with you today, but my Peas went bad on me!!! :( I'll have to do it another time when I can get to the store and buy some more Peas!!! Let me know how you like it, though... I LOVE Alissa's Corn Chowder and here we're just replacing the Corn with Peas, so I'm sure I'll LOVE this one too.

Pop over to the Greenie & Friends thread and take a look at the bread I made!!! It's sooooo good!!!! :)

[anniez]

Renee, your breads look amazing! Why don't you post the link to that thread, so people can find your photos over there? You know, you're the one who got me started on this journey. Thank you!

And, Joya, welcome. Please do join us, and if you make any of the recipes let us know what you think. All opinions are welcomed!

There are lots of you lurking here, and that's great, but if any of you fix any of the food, please let us know what you think, too. This is great fun for me and I hope a lot of you are enjoying what I'm doing.

Yesterday was another good day for me.

Green Smoothie
Grapes
Banana Nut Drink
Creamy Pea Soup

I don't normally do nuts with fruit, but I am committed to fixing every recipe in the book, so I made the Banana Nut Drink. It was quite good, but it felt heavy to me. I have gotten pretty used to lighter food, but I know it's OK on occasion. I had made almond butter (there isn't a recipe in the book) back on Day 1. Also, I will only use 1/2 Tbsp carob next time. I'm not a big fan of carob and chocolate (I know - can you believe it!) and I think the drink needs some of it but I would like less. You might like all of it. The drink has a great flavor and I love Alissa's comment that it was hard to not put this recipe in the dessert section!

I used the last of my almond milk in the Creamy Pea Soup and it was really good! I love raw soups, and when I'm back in the cold weather I will warm them in the dehydrator. I'm in warm weather now, so the cold soups are quite refreshing. Raw soups are so easy, and the two I've fixed so far are really good.

Three recipes for today:

Angel Hair and Marinara Pg 395
Kale Salad Pg 456 to be eaten immediately
Marinated Greens Pg Pg 301 I wil use the rest of my kale for this. It has to set overnite, so I will have it to eat tomorrow.

As I mentioned earlier, I am halving most of the recipes. I am the only one eating this food, and some recipes don't keep well. However, today I will make the full recipe of the Marinara. I have made this before and it is delicious. Alissa uses it in several of her recipes, so I will freze what's left and have it ready to go. I got a big package of tomatoes for 99 cents at the market yesterday, and they need to be used in the next couple of days, so I will be doing some tomato recipes tomorrow, too.

Alissa says that the first time you make a recipe, make it exactly as written. This has been a firm rule for me for all the years I cooked, and now when I un-cook. I think we need to be fair to the author and follow their recipe first. Then, if you don't like something, you can vary it and make it your own. I will not be making any changes to the Marinara. It's awesome as Alissa has written it.

I want to encourage all of you to get Alissa's book. Not only are the recipes amazing and creative, but there is a wealth of information about eating raw. She's really done the work for us!

Have a great day!

Annie

[Green_Woman]

This is such a fun idea, ladies!! Now I need to make some corn chowder. :eek:

[smasty]

I think Alissa's marinara is the best I've ever had...cooked or uncooked. Great idea to freeze it!

[anniez]

Good morning! Busy day today so I need to get an early start.

Greenie, let us know what you think about the corn chowder. I love it.

Sue, I agree with you about the marinara. It is delicious and I like it so much better than any cooked sauce I ever had.

Frankly, I would find it hard to go back to SAD because I love raw food so much. For any newbies that are along for the ride, I just want to say to hang in there, because the results are SO worth it.

OK, for yesterday

Green Smoothie

Dr. Doug's Shake Pg 537 (Recipe #11) I didn't have this in my plan, but I realized I had some bananas that needed to be used or frozen, so I used 3 of them with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 stalk celery to make the shake. It was really good, very filling, and very refreshing.

Kale Salad (Recipe # 12) Alissa says everyone raves about this salad, and even kale non-lovers like it. I saw this as a real challenge because I am not a kale lover. The only way I have found that I like it is as chips. But, true to her word, this recipe turned me around. I really liked it. It will be a staple. I know kale is really good for us and have struggled to eat it.

Marinated Greens (Recipe #13) I used the other half of my kale for this. I haven't tried it yet, because it needs to marinate overnight. It is waiting in the fridge for lunch. I will report on this tomorrow.

Angel Hair Pasta and Marinara (Recipe #14, and #15) The marinara recipe is given by itself and with the pasta so I got two for one here. This recipe is not new to me, so I made the full recipe. I used some for the pasta yesterday, saved some to use today, and froze the rest. Yay, I'm getting a freezer stash going!

For Today:

Recipe #16 Gnocchi Pg 385 This recipe calls for the marinara, which I made yesterday. The filling needs to sit for 6-8 hours. It may not need that long, because it's pretty warm here, but I'll make it early and keep an eye on it. This recipe sounds really good to me, because I love avo and the marinara, so I'm betting it'll be another keeper.

Recipe #17 Nori Rolls I have some nori left from the rolled nori crackers, and will use some of it here.

Off to the kitchen............

Annie

[smasty]

Annie...you say you don't like kale but you like the kale chips. I tried making them once and they stunk up the house terrible!! They smelled and tasted like poo to me. But everyone raves about them so much. Maybe I should try it again...but a much smaller amount. What is your method for chips? Thanks!
Sue

[anniez]

Here I am with one week down. Don’t know how many it will take me to finish, but I do think I’ll be sorry when I’m done because I’m having so much fun!

Sue, I use a cheese (try Alissa’s nacho cheese) and squish it all together really well. Then I dehyd. I haven’t tried Alissa’s nacho cheese yet, but when I do I will do this with some of it. Try it and let us know. I keep snacking on it all day as it dehydrates, so there isn’t much left when it’s done! But what is left I keep refrigerated.

On to yesterday. First, I forgot to mention that the Kale Salad says to shred the kale. I wasn’t real sure if that meant food processor or what , so here is what I did: I stacked the leaves on top of each other, rolled them as tightly as I could, and cut them into thin strips. Worked beautifully. (I learned this on the Food Network, it’s called a chiffonade. My husband thinks it’s hysterical that I, who eat only raw, living food, watch the Food Network. But I learn lots of good stuff about knife skills on there. ) Made for a pretty-looking salad.

The Marinated Greens made with kale are really good! I didn’t finish them, so I’ll let you know if they’re still good tomorrow. After only one week, I have found two new ways to eat kale, something that I wasn’t real crazy about. Yay! And with the kale chips, that gives me three great kale recipes. I made kale recipes two days in a row because I only used half of the bunch for each recipe.

The Gnocchi: Wow was this good. Kinda hard to go wrong if you like avo and the marinara. I was a little unsure about the Cream Cheese because it’s only macadamias and water. Freshly made, it didn’t have much flavor. Even half a recipe made a lot, so I kept out some for the Gnocchi, then I added some leek to the remainder and refrigerated it. I really wish I had some dehydrated bread or crackers (Renee, where are you when I need you?) Also, Alissa says the Cream Cheese is good with the Banana Bread, so I froze some and will let you know if it works. Hope so, so I’ll have it for the Banana Bread when I make it again. Anyway, it developed some flavor as it sat. This dish felt really heavy to me and I wasn’t able to eat a lot of it. I anticipated that, so I didn’t make a lot. I don’t know if this would keep or not. Normally avo doesn’t keep, but if it’s completely covered with the marinara, it might. You want the biggest avos you can find, because it will be easier to make the balls. These go together pretty quickly once you get going. You will want to make the marinara and cream cheese ahead, and then prepare your avo once you are ready to eat. And they are GOOD! Another keeper recipe! If any of you try this, will you keep at least one for a day, totally covered with the marinara and see if the avo keeps. It would be great for a raw potluck, but I don’t know if it would keep long enough. I ate it right away!

The Nori Rolls: I was surprised at how good these were. But I had trouble eating them because the cauliflower kept falling out. I used carrot and cuke strips along with the avo. I wonder if it would be better to mash the avo into the cauli and spread that on the nori as a filling, then put the veggie strips. If you’ve made these, please clue me in! This recipe will be a keeper, but I need to figure out something to do with the cauli, since it doesn’t stick together like rice does. I used Nama Shoyu for a dipping sauce as suggested. (I really love Nama Shoyu!)

For today:
Recipe 18 : Pear, Beet, Jicima Salad Pg 453 with
Recipe 19: Honey Mustard Salad Dressing Pg 479
I’m very much looking forward to trying this, since all three of these are ingredients that I really like, so I can’t imagine that I won’t just love it.
Are any of you trying some of these recipes? If you are, please give us an evaluation. I am surely finding a lot of keepers!

Happy un-cooking!

Annie

[ReneeH]

Hi Annie!!! My computer's been tempermental today!!! It wouldn't sign in to this site!!! :eek: I thought the site was "down" and I was gonna LOSE IT!!!! :)

Hey, which Kale did you not like? I use 2 different kinds...the Green Kale (looks "flowerly") for Kale Chips, and Dino Kale (Long and slim...looks like Dinosaur "scales") for the Marinated Kale. When I made it with the Green Kale, I didn't like it. When I used Dino Kale, you couldn't get the fork out of my hands!!!!

It's been a busy work week for me...haven't made much... I do have some Eggplant Bacon in the Dehydrator, though. I'm loaded up on RAW goodies, so just gonna "chill" for a while and eat what I have. I bought some Shittake Mushrooms, so I'll probably make something with those later so that they don't go bad on me. Not really in the mood to "un-cook" anything today. I still have 4 Calzones in the Freezer...(I ate one for lunch today with a Salad).

Annie, did you make Alissa's Jicama Potato Salad? It's WONDERFUL!!! I have photos of it on my other thread (the 30 day thread)...

I'm not too crazy about the Califlower in the Nori... I like the Jicama/Pine Nut "Rice" mixture better in Raw Food Real World. There's a thread on Suchi that you should take a look at. Someone suggested taking Alissa's Not Tuna Pate and putting it inside the Nori!!! It looks GREAT and I'm Gonna Try that!!! She put photos on the thread, too!!! My photos are there, also...

Annie, you're doing so well!!! I'm so proud of you!!! Keep up the GREAT UNCOOKING!!!!

Hugs,
Nee'

[gingincal]

Keep up the great work, Annie! Alissa's book is one of my faves. I'm enjoying your journey through it.

[smasty]

I like the Food Network too! And Top Chef is one of my favorite shows (on Bravo)!! Hey...if you watch Top Chef, the teaser for next week (Wed) seems to imply a RAW challenge!!? Did anyone else pick up on that? Natalie Portman is the guest judge...is she raw? If so, then yep...it's a raw challenge. One of the contestants on the show has had cancer and eats a lot of raw, so she mentioned that the challenge was right up her ally.

[anniez]

Renee, I think the site WAS down, because I couldn’t get on either. Thanks for the info on kale. I’m not sure which kind I have been using, but everything I have made has been with the same kind of kale. I had not eaten kale in my entire life until I went raw! Grew up in the Midwest and it wasn’t a green we ate. I haven’t made Alissa’s Potato Salad yet, but, of course it is somewhere there in the future! I like the idea of Not Tuna Pate in the nori. I have made that before and like it!

Gingincal, thanks for posting and let me know you’re there.

Sue, yes, I watch Top Chef and am excited to know there may be a raw challenge coming up! The contestant who had cancer (Robin) intimated she healed with raw food, but I may be reading that into what she said.
OK, on with business: I have an idea about the nori rolls: I wish I had thought to use some of the leek flavored cream cheese. If the cauli was mixed into that, I think it would be perfect!

Wow! Yesterday was truly awesome rawsome food! The Pear Beet Jicima Salad and Honey Mustard Dressing were amazing! The salad dressing is really, really good, and I will not be halving the recipe next time! I wish I had thought of this ahead of time, but I would have liked to try and marinate some beet and jicima in the dressing. I bet it would be super the next day. As I was making the salad, Ina Garten was on Food Network and she said the prettiest salads have ingredients all the same size, so instead of chopping the jicima and pear, I julienned them. It was really pretty, and delicious. And I have some candied walnuts that I had dehydrated previously, so I used them. Really good. I need to add that I didn’t have dried mustard powder, so I used some of the “Yellow stuff.” I know, I know…….

OK, for today:
Recipe # 20 Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy Pg 289 I still have some cauliflower, so will finish up this head today.

That’s all I will make today, since I have some leftovers that won’t freeze. Plus, I need a day without nuts or avo. And, I have a very busy day and not much kitchen time.

Thanks for going on this ride with me!

Annie

[anniez]

Day 10
Is anybody there? Have you all abandoned me?

Well, after yesterday I have the first dishes for my Raw Thanksgiving menu: Mashed Potatoes and Mushrom Gravy. Used portobellos and this dish is amazing! I thought the cauliflower would taste like cauliflower, but it has just a hint of a cauliflower taste, and the gravy looks deep and rich and tastes as rich as it looks!

I’m very tired and I really have no appetite today – I think it’s from all these days of fixing lots of recipes, some of which are pretty rich. So, I am doing a fruit fast today. My body is telling me something, because nothing but fruit sounds good to me. But I can do a fruit fast and make:

Recipe #21 Apple Sauce

I’ll still only make a half recipe, but if I want more I’ll make another half.

I hope somebody is out there!

Annie

[ReneeH]

Day 10
Is anybody there? Have you all abandoned me?

I hope somebody is out there!

Annie....BREATHE!!!!! We're still here!!! I had a busy day, with Service and all...

Here's my pix of Alissa's Apple Sauce:

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/AppleSauce.jpg

This really is GREAT!!! And, so simple to make!!! I wish that I had this recipe when my kids were little!!! I wish that I had never given them cooked food!!! But, alas...gotta work with what I'm given! I'm just glad I found RAW NOW...!!!

Don't worry Annie!!! I'm still here for you... But, on days that I work, I will have to post later in the day...

[anniez]

Thanks for checking in, Renee, and thanks for the photo. I, too, wish I had discovered living food long ago. But probably the time wasn’t right then, and now it is. It sounds like you are doing a great job of getting your kids into more raw food. By the time they’re teen-agers I bet they’ll be high raw, if not 100%. You are setting an excellent example for them. My family is a bummer for me, though, because in spite of all my progress health-wise and weight-wise, no one is at all interested! So, I continue to cook SAD for hubby, but am making sure he gets some fresh fruit every day and a salad every evening! Baby steps!

I’m feeling better today. I did only have fruit yesterday, and loved the applesauce. But I was feeling really lazy, so I just ate some more apples instead of making more sauce. My problem with fruit recipes is that I just love fresh fruit – unadulterated!

Today I need to be using some leftovers – portobellos and jicima. So I am making:

Recipe 22 Marinated Portobellos in Ginger Vinaigrette P 295

Recipe 23 Spicy Fries Pg 302

Recipe 24 Tomato Mushroom Basil Salad Pg 450 (I still have some basil in the garden!)

I’m going start some buckwheat sprouting so I can make a buckwheat recipe. Any suggestions as to which one to do first? C’mon, let me have some input.

Also, I’m going to dehydrate some tomatoes and maybe make some more marinara to freeze – if I don’t run out of time! I am getting beautiful tomatoes for really cheap right now, so I want to take advantage of them. One of my favorite things with tomato is to slice a couple and slice an avo and sprinkle with a little Pink Himalayan salt. Yum! Quick, easy, and satisfying. The avo makes it stick with me!

Well, off to make my smoothie.

Annie

[smasty]

I'm here! Keep up the good work! I've got to go pull out my book and look at the recipes you're making! I do remember making the potatoes/gravy and they were really good.

[anniez]

Thanks for checking in, Smasty. Let us know what you think of any recipes you try!

Yesterday was fun and full of scrumptious food!

Marinated Portobellas in Ginger Vinaigrette. The Ginger Vinaigrette is also given in the dressing section of the book as a separate recipe, so that was recipe 25. These were really, really good. The Ginger Vinaigrette is also delicious on its own. The recipe says to put the mushrooms on the mesh sheet, but they were really wet and I didn’t want to wipe the vinaigrette off, so I put them on the teflex sheet. It seemed a good move, because the teflex sheet was pretty wet. I have a couple of salad dressing hints. First, if you don’t have things like onion, garlic, ginger, etc. that need to be blended, a great thing to do is just shake it up in a glass jar. You can then store it in that jar. Second, if you do have onion, garlic, ginger, etc., put everything in a wide-mouth canning jar and use an immersion blender. Same deal: store the dressing in the jar. Voila: nothing to wash except the blender which easily rinses off!

Spicy Fries. These were really good but the only resemblance to fries was the look. I would call them something else. I thought the marinade was too oily. Next time I make this I will use half the oil and rather than the chili and cayenne I will try it with some Herbamare. Jicima is kind of sweet anyway, and the honey made it really sweet. Rather than the spicy, I want to try salty. A tip: measure the oil first and then the honey. With the oil coating the measuring cup the honey slips right out.

Tomato, Mushroom, and Basil Salad. I suspected I would love this, and I was right! I deviated the directions a little: I mixed up the dressing in a bowl, and then added the tomatoes and mushrooms . Saved dirtying that extra bowl! This is my kind of food – quick, light, and delicious! This will become a staple because it’s so easy and doesn’t call for any exotic ingredients!
I didn’t get the buckwheat started yesterday, so it is soaking now. I intend to make Burger Buns and Calzone crust with it, but that won’t be until tomorrow or Thursday. Will have to see how long it takes to sprout.

Today:

Recipe 26 – Blueberry Pie Pg 484

Recipe 27 – Whipped Cream Pg 324 the grape juice variation

Recipe 28 – Sweet Apple Nori Rolls Pg 405

Looks like a sweet day, doesn’t it?

Annie

[Veganforlife]

Hey Annie - not to butt in, but look:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=54420

Maybe we'll get a lot of folks trying her scrumptuous recipes? What do you think?

[somelikeitraw]

Hi Annie! Your adventure is really helping me see that there is so much more I could be eating even without a dehydrator!

Love your tips too!

I watch Food Network and a few other "cooking" shows, have for years, even before there was a food network, LOL! I enjoy Chopped and since going raw have come up with several wild (virtual) dishes using the mystery ingredients. Wouldn't fly on the show though 'cause they're all raw.

I made a version of Alissa's Lentil Cups, Pg. 463, a while ago. I didn't have any bell pepper or cilantro, so I used asparagus and flat leaf parsley instead. I didn't put it in leaves but ate it right out of the bowl. I call it Lentil Salad to Live for! I did dress it with Mrs. Ackerly's Dressing, as suggested. My book says that dressing is on Pg. 473, but it is really on Pg. 481, at least in my copy. This has become one of my very favoritist dressings! It is one of the bestest!

Thanks for taking me on this adventure with you!

[anniez]

Veganforlife, glad to have you along! I love Alissa's recipes and am having fun doing this. My book is getting pretty marked up and is looking pretty loved! I hope more people will try the recipes and check in and let us know what they think!

Hey, somelikeitraw, thanks for checking in. Glad to know you’re along for the ride. Thanks for the review of Lentil Cups. I have some lentils, so will try this soon. My book says Mrs. Ackerly’s Dressing is on Pg 481, and that’s where it is. Hmm, your book must be older than mine. I have an older book in my other home, so I’ll check that when I get there. Sounds like you are a pretty creative cook. Good for you. I am getting there, but for now I am staying true to Alissa’s recipes. When I have worked my way through the book I know I will be able to do lots of food without a recipe. I feel like I am going to culinary school in my own kitchen with Alissa as my teacher! And it helps that every recipe is just so good!

I got a new kitchen toy. Have you seen the Ninja? It has a pitcher and a small food processor unit. I will use the small food processor for salad dressings, mainly. I used the pitcher instead of my blender to make the Blueberry Pie filling and it did a good job! What I love most about it is how easy it is to clean. A real plus in my book. Sometimes I have trouble getting my Blendtec clean – it’s hard to get under the blade. Any hints, anybody?
Yesterday I soaked buckwheat. Within a couple of hours the water was cloudy and kind of frothy. Is that normal? This morning I’ve got some little tails, so I think it’s on track. I’ve soaked buckwheat before and don’t remember the frothing.

The Blueberry Pie is amazing! It really looks like the real thing. Well, that was a silly statement, since it IS the real thing. It’s better than any Blueberry Pie I’ve ever had, and I’ve had my share since I love Blueberry Pie. The filling set up nicely, so it slices beautifully. I will be taking it when I go to SAD potlucks. The Whipped Cream variation made with grape juice is very thin. If you try it, start with less juice. It’s good – very sweet – but I would like it thicker. I wanted to dollop it on top of the pie, but it wasn’t thick enough to do that. Also, the pie is plenty sweet and doesn’t really need the Whipped Cream, so when I make it again I won’t do the Whipped Cream. Yum! Guess what I’m eating today? I only made a half recipe, so today will be my last day. I’ll let you know how it kept for today, but I think it will be fine.

The day just got away from me yesterday and I didn’t get the Nori Rolls made, so that is on the agenda for today.

Recipe 28 – Sweet Apple Nori Rolls Pg 405

I am looking forward to the Nori Rolls since I am developing a taste for nori. The rolls with “cauliflower rice” were good, but the cauliflower kept falling out, so they were hard to eat. I’ll make sure the filling stays inside this time!
Have a great day un-cooking!

Annie

[anniez]

I just read in another thread that someone thought this thread is about trying the same recipes at the same time. I didn't mean to give that impression. I am just telling you which recipes I am making and talking about them, but I'd love to hear from you which recipes you've made and your comments about them! I also love to hear your tips. I want to learn from all of you!

Annie

[Veganforlife]

I just read in another thread that someone thought this thread is about trying the same recipes at the same time. I didn't mean to give that impression. I am just telling you which recipes I am making and talking about them, but I'd love to hear from you which recipes you've made and your comments about them! I also love to hear your tips. I want to learn from all of you!

Annie

Hey, the more recipes we post of Alissa's - well, how can that be a bad thing? I think hers RAWk!!!!

And she has over what? 300 recipes?

::falls backwards off chair::

[ReneeH]

The Blueberry Pie is amazing!

...Sweet Apple Nori Rolls

Hey Annie!!! I Love the Blueberry Pie and Apple Nori Rolls!!! I have photos of both of these on my 30 day thread...(guess I won't repost them here, unless you'd like me to...)

Still working through my Freezer Meals I made from my other threads... Alissa's Falafel is looking good today! Getting ready for my Boston Trip tomorrow!!! Looking forward to meeting Alissa on Saturday!!!! YEA!!!!

Don't worry...I'll give her HUGS from ALL OF YOU!!!!

[anniez]

Renee, I'd love it if you'd post any photos you have on here so folks can see them. Thanks.

Annie

[freshlight]

Don't worry...I'll give her HUGS from ALL OF YOU!!!!

oooooo yes, please! lots of big hugs :)

[somelikeitraw]

Getting ready for my Boston Trip tomorrow!!! Looking forward to meeting Alissa on Saturday!!!! YEA!!!!

Don't worry...I'll give her HUGS from ALL OF YOU!!!!

ReneeH ~
Have a wonderful trip and a fantastic time with Alissa! Thank you for delivering our hugs and appreciation!

[smasty]

Hi Guys! Since we have a massive snow storm here, I did a little cookin' today...Raw Lemon Merengue Pie but from a different cookbook. It is quite amazing...but not pretty. The filling didn't firm up enough, and the merengue was too firm...but great flavor.

I'm anxious to try the apple nori rolls--thanks for that idea. The blueberry pie has been a staple for me for years...it's so super easy to whip up and tastes wonderful. It's easy to omit the nut crust too, for people cutting down on nuts. It's amazing how all that pectin in the blueberries firms up the pie so well.

When you get to the chicken fingers with dipping sauce...they are wonderful. I only ever made them once, so that's one I'll play along with!

Don't forget to watch Top Chef tonight for a potential raw challenge.
Sue

[anniez]

Oh, Renee, today’s it! Have a great trip – you just know we will all be thinking about you and envying you! You do so much deserve it, because look at all of us that you’ve inspired! Saturday will be an amazing day for you! Do check in!

Veganforlife, did you REALLY have to remind me how many recipes are in Alissa’s book? LOL Actually, the back cover says 290! I have a ways to go, don’t I?

Smasty, when you said massive snow storm I looked to see where you are, and sure enough – CO. Our CO home is south of Denver and it’s a mess there. Hubby is there but I am in AZ where it is lovely. Today’s a mess, too, isn’t it? Did your lemon meringue pie use Irish Moss? I haven’t attempted anything with that yet, and won’t be until I finish my sojourn with Alissa’s book. I’ve heard Irish Moss is tricky. Thanks for the tip about making Blueberry Pudding – no crust. I think I will be doing that. I loved it! If you play with the Chicken Fingers, be sure and let us know what changes you make. Was Top Chef a raw challenge? It’s not on until 10 PM here, and that’s just too late for me! Have to wait for a rerun!

Well, I have been at this for two weeks and am still having a ball. And I’m not inclined to give up my goal – I WILL fix every single recipe in the book. If anyone reading this doesn’t have Alissa’s book, what are you waiting for? You have never eaten such great food as the recipes from this book! Eating great food keeps me from any desire for SAD!

I found a neat thing at Macy’s yesterday. It’s from Martha Stewart and it’s called a Jar Spatula. It’s a thin spatula. It has a silicone head that’s about 2 inches wide and a beechwood handle that’s about 8 inches long. I think it will work great for my Blendtec. I mentioned in an earlier post that sometimes it’s hard to get everything out of the blender – almond butter comes to mind. It was $5 and if it works like I think it will, it will be well worth it!

The Sweet Apple Nori Rolls are to live for! I wasn’t exactly sure how to make them because I was uncertain what Alissa meant. So here is what I did: I mentally divided the nori into thirds and put the ingredients on the middle third. Then I folded the bottom third over the middle and rolled. I’m not sure if that’s what Alissa has in mind, but it worked! And are these ever good! The crisp apple, creamy avo and honey are delicious, and the lettuce is just what it needs for a finishing touch! If you like nori you will want to try this, because it is really different! I ate the first one right after I made it. I used too much honey. My sweet tooth has really tapered off since I went raw. Also, it will depend on how sweet your apple is. Mine was pretty sweet. This is another quick, easy, delicious recipe. It will become a staple!

My buckwheat has sprouted nicely so today is:

Recipe 29 Burger Buns Pg 330 ( I am killing two birds with one stone today as I am using some burger bun dough to make the Calzone base. I will freeze that.)

Recipe 30 Fudge Balls Pg 491

Recipe 31 Almond Butter Balls Pg 510
Recipe 32 Pad Thai Pg 396 (since I need something to eat besides sweets!)

Hey, everybody! Please check in with us when you make a recipe from the book and let us know how you liked it, andany tips you may have.

Have a great day!

Annie

[Veganforlife]

Annie dear? Please don't kill those birds! What did they do to you?

Recipe 29 Burger Buns Pg 330 ( I am killing two birds with one stone today as I am using some burger bun dough to make the Calzone base. I will freeze that.)

Instead? Knock over two trashcans with one stone! Okay?

Renee? HAVE A MARVELOUS TIME!

[appifanie]

Annie dear? Please don't kill those birds! What did they do to you?

Recipe 29 Burger Buns Pg 330 ( I am killing two birds with one stone today as I am using some burger bun dough to make the Calzone base. I will freeze that.)

Instead? Knock over two trashcans with one stone! Okay?

Renee? HAVE A MARVELOUS TIME!

i belong to a (cooked) vegan forum and there's a thread where they're thinking up new ideas for statements like that :D

also, i was around the corner from Grezzo II yesterday but didn't know where it was! sad.

[joya]

Hi Annie,

I love how ambitious and competent you are at whipping out all these great recipes. It's inspiring. I've been starting to work my way through Alissa's book as well (posted about it in the "November is..." thread). I am wondering though (since it's a bit of an issue for me)... are you finding that you are spending a lot of money of securing all the ingredients and required tools for preparing all these great meals?

thanks!

[Soose]

Renee, I'd love it if you'd post any photos you have on here so folks can see them. Thanks. Annie

Hi, Annie, Just want you to know I'm reading avidly; I also had a couple of days I couldn't get into the site, but later found it was this computer.

Renee, please keep posting photos, or a link if you can, pretty please? (I almost never make a recipe unless I see a photo first. It's a visual thing. Silly me. I never would have made the corn chowder if ya'll hadn't posted about it and it's going to be a real staple here.)

Thanks to all! :)

[Veganforlife]

Hi, Annie, Just want you to know I'm reading avidly; I also had a couple of days I couldn't get into the site, but later found it was this computer.

Renee, please keep posting photos, or a link if you can, pretty please? (I almost never make a recipe unless I see a photo first. It's a visual thing. Silly me. I never would have made the corn chowder if ya'll hadn't posted about it and it's going to be a real staple here.)

Thanks to all! :)

Soose - LOOK!

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?p=566861#post566861

[anniez]

Veganfor life…………didn’t you used to be a moderator? I remember a reply you made about fruit flies. I don’t like fruit flies in my kitchen. I find them disgusting! We are all at different places in this journey. My ”two birds with one stone” was a simple comment. I could never hit one bird with 100 stones. Please lighten up!

Joya, thanks for checking in. Good question about the expense. I find eating raw much less expensive than SAD. I eat no animal flesh, dairy, bread, and very little in the way of grains (the only grains are the ones I sprout to dehydrate breads and crackers.) I have been on this journey for more than a year, so I have built up a good storage of ingredients. After two weeks I haven’t had to buy any nuts or seeds because I already had them on hand. I buy a lot of things online since I don’t have a good source close to where I live. When I order online I buy in huge quantity because shipping is so expensive! Also, I’ve been married for 44 years, so I’ve had a lot of years to acquire the right equipment for food prep. My biggest problem right now is the second home. I have an Excalibur in CO, but here I only have my old L’Equip. I found the biggest expense to be a Blendtec and the Excalibur.
Soose, thanks for checking in. Let us know your evaluation of the recipes you try. Alissa’s recipes rock!

Macy’s has a close-out right now on a Henkel’s knife set, so I splurged and got one. I don’t have any very good knives in this home, and, as we all know, for this lifestyle, good knives are essential. As I was chopping the carrot yesterday for the Burger Buns I realized how I was enjoying the process! I get a lot of pleasure from such simple things as chopping veggies. Can’t believe I used to find that such a chore! But the most pleasure I get is eating the fruits and veggies of my labor!

Did anyone see Iron Chef last night? Both chefs spiralized veggies. What fun!

Burger Buns….Soaking the flax was a problem. I had absolutely no idea how much water to use. In her Sprouting Chart, Alissa says to use plenty of water, but I had no idea what that meant. I added maybe an inch of water above the seeds. I think it was too much because the dough was pretty runny. Has anybody tried this recipe by grinding the flax first? I think I might try that next time, because the food processor doesn’t grind them up, and I think you don’t get the nourishment if you eat the whole seeds. (At least that’s what I read somewhere!) If any of you have made this recipe, can you clue me in a little as to how you dealt with the flax? If you’re new to flax, you need to know that you don’t drain it! It gets gelatinous and quite thick. Also, the recipe says to put the Buns on the mesh tray, but my dough was way too wet to do that, so I put them on teflex. I put some sesame seeds on the buns, because I love sesame, but I think I used too many, because I really didn’t think I could flip them. I took them out of the dehyd this morning and I really like the flavor, so I guess I did things right with the flax.

Pizza Crust This wasn’t in the plan, but somehow or other I wound up with 4 cups of sprouted buckwheat. It’s on Page 406 and I did the “Easy” Version. I froze these for use at a later time. This recipe does say to use teflex sheets. Also, I didn’t make one big crust like the recipe says. Remember that I am the only one eating this food. I made several different sizes, one very small to make the “Bagel Bite” size pizzas. Really good flavor!

Pad Thai I’ve made this before and it’s every bit as yummy as I remember. Even half a recipe makes enough for two meals for me, so I will have the rest of it today. The sauce is really yummy. This is another quick, easy recipe. It will be a staple.

Fudge Balls Well, I’m not a real fan of these. But, remember, I’m not much into chocolate! I’ve leave the chocolates for others. I DO, however, like a chocolate syrup made with cocoa and agave and a little vanilla to dip strawberries in. But that’s more about the strawberries. LOL

I will be traveling tomorrow and have to use up what’s here, so today is simple.

Recipe 32 Dill Cream Cheese Dip Pg 306 (I’ll have this with the veggies I need to eat up.)

Busy day today.

Annie

[Veganforlife]

Yup, I did used to be a mod. Found out it wasn't for me. Don't like playing by rules - most of the time. :p Especially when rules change...

Lighten up? I'm light...light as a um, well, a, ah...bird's feather.

(from one SOMEbody must've hit)...

hee hee!!!

[cenaw/10]

Annie, I watched your potato salad recipe video and then came over here to read your reviews. Thank you, thank you for doing this. Keep going.

I'm only 3 days raw, so far, but have tried:
Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps, pg 389, very good
Kale salad, pg 457 (good, but I need smaller bits of kale, I'll chiffonade...)
Corn chowder, pg 356, yum

As I look at my food log, the other items are veg salads, fruit salads, fruit/nuts bowls for breakfast, smoothies, etc, but not recipes. Although I did make snicker-bites from RFT site that are da bomb. I too will hopefully corral the sweet tooth on raw.

I have the ingredients for Mock Salmon Pate, pg 380 & I will try the Carrot Raisin Crunch, pg 456, so I will be making those soon. Hooray for Alissa's book!

[anniez]

Annie, I watched your potato salad recipe video and then came over here to read your reviews. Thank you, thank you for doing this. Keep going.

The videos aren't me! I can't even post a pic, so for sure I can't do a video! But, I agree that they are wonderful!

A quick note to say that I probably won't be online tomorrow. I have an early flight and can't do it before, and I probably won't be doing a recipe, either.

Till Sunday!

Annie

[cenaw/10]

I must have mixed Annie up with someone else. Anyway, I made Raw Hunter's Taco Meat tonight and it was good.

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie! Wanna see Alissa's food and photos of my visit with her yesterday? Take a look at my 30 day thread EXTENDED!!! Just click here:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=53452&page=12

Don't forget to scroll down!!!!

[anniez]

Renee, how awesome! What beautiful pictures. And you deserve every bit of it! The food all looks amazing. Did you really eat all of it?

Back to my journey. I loved the Dill Cream Cheese Dip. But, then, dill is probably my favorite herb, so what’s not to love. I had some left which I stuck in the freezer. I’ll find something to do with it when I go to the other home. I ate it with carrot sticks, celery sticks, red pepper strips, and cuke. Really good dinner!

Today I am eating only fruit, so I am trying a dehydrator recipe:

Recipe 33 Marinated Onions P 302

I hope that by tomorrow I can get back in the groove, but traveling always wears me out! I can remember when it was really fun to fly, but those days are long gone. We used to get dressed up and people treated one another with great civility. Now it mostly feels like a cattle call!

Till tomorrow…….

Annie

[cenaw/10]

I know most people have tried this, but it was my first time AND IT WAS AWESOME! Of course I now know what you mean when you say, "This will be a staple." Because , this will be a staple. Newbies, try it.

[ReneeH]

Renee, how awesome! What beautiful pictures. And you deserve every bit of it! The food all looks amazing. Did you really eat all of it?

LOL!!! NO!!!!! :D Not ***THAT*** Day, anyway!!! I DID Nibble on everything right away, though...couldn't help it!!! Actually, I bought all of that food to last me at least the week!!!! I've been working my way through all of it and I still have enough to last me a few more days!!!

You're doing TERRIFIC!!!! I'm gonna hop back on your trail when I'm done with my "GREZZO BOX" and continue making the things you make that I've never made before... I HAVE made the Marinated Onions...they are GREAT, aren't they!!!!

[anniez]

Well, I think things will get back to normal (as normal as they ever are! LOL) and I am back at it!

Thanks for the head’s up, Cenaw, I’m putting the Mock Salmon Pate on today’s menu!

Renee, I am making the most amazing food. I want to remind you again, that you are the one that really got me going in all of this! You started with Alissa’s 30 Day plan and got me back into Alissa’s book. And I must say that I am making amazing, amazing food. Delicious. But the best part is knowing how good it all is for my body!

Marinated Onions. Well, these are certainly not like the French-fried onion rings out of the can. First, I found them very salty, so I can’t eat them out of hand like I could the SAD kind! But they are really good on a salad, used sparingly. Does anybody know a way to add something to the Bragg’s to cut the salty flavor? I really like Bragg’s used in recipes, but used in this way it was just too salty. I marinated them for about 2 hours; the recipe says at least 10 minutes, so maybe I just marinated them too long. Also, next time I make these (because there WILL be a next time,) I will find a way to use the Bragg’s that’s left over so I don’t have to just throw it out. Don’t like to do that! Any suggestions?

Here’s the plan for the Day:

First, I need to tell you that my 12 yo granddaughter is coming over to bake cupcakes. She wants chocolate. Will I be tempted? Not in the least! First, I’m not into chocolate, and secondly, I just don’t want to put it in my body! I am hoping she might eat some of the fruit salad, but we’ll see!

Recipe 34 Green Apple and Parsley Juice Pg 540

Recipe 35 Pineapple Apple Salad Pg 467 I will soak the raisins in water first, to soften and plump them up a little.

Recipe 36 Mock Salmon Pate Pg 380 as recommended by Cenaw/10 Usually we soak nuts, but in this recipe we don’t. Alissa says on Pg 287 “Although certain nuts and seeds are healthier and easier to digest if soaked, you should only soak the nuts in these recipes if directed to do so, otherwise the recipes may not come out as expected.”

Recipe 37 Dill Vinaigrette P 472 (Alissa recommends the Pate be eaten over a salad with a vinaigrette dressing, so that is how I will eat it. I think I read somewhere in the book that this keeps for several days. Any input on that?

How are y’all doing staying raw? If you’re struggling, I can’t say this strongly enough: Get Alissa’s book and start un-cooking some of this delicious food. Just look back and find a recipe that I say will be a staple, and try it. We are all at different places in this journey, and my taste buds have really changed! Give me a fresh orange instead of a cupcake any day of the week! Well, actually, today it’ll be a mandarin instead of the cupcake because I don’t have any oranges, just mandarins. I really struggled at the beginning of my journey because I was so sick and didn’t have the energy to do much food prep. If that’s where you are, I can give you more details about how I started. I was way to sick to do Alissa’s 30 Day Plan at first. I was about 3 months along before I could do Alissa’s plan, and then I did it for the full 30 days. That’s when I realized that eating interesting food was the key for me. Let me know if that’s how it is for you. I know a lot of people keep it quite simple, and I have lots of quite simple days. But then I start craving more complicated food. I know that fixing this delicious food is key for me.

Hey, everybody, enjoy your day. Looks like I have lots of kitchen time coming up! And a delicious day of eating!

Annie

[cenaw/10]

Last night I had the Mock Salmon Pate over a large but simple romaine, kale, mushroom, and cucumber salad. I made Alissa's Honey Mustard Salad Dressing and it was soooooo good on this salad. That was dinner. Even in my Dad diet I love fish or brown rice on a salad. I may sprout some lentils and wild rice to try for the brown rice texture. I'm still at a stage where I want to re-create what I'm used to a bit.

I look forward to seeing how you like the pineapple apple salad. Today I will be eating cantaloupe all day till it's gone, mostly so it won't go bad. I'm still raw, day 6, and feeling good. A few sniffles.

[cenaw/10]

Not my Dad diet, my SAD diet...

[IamLoved]

I love Alissa's mock salmon pate. It is so good!

I am enjoying reading about your eating adventures too.

[anniez]

Last night I had the Mock Salmon Pate over a large but simple romaine, kale, mushroom, and cucumber salad. I made Alissa's Honey Mustard Salad Dressing and it was soooooo good on this salad. That was dinner. Even in my Dad diet I love fish or brown rice on a salad. I may sprout some lentils and wild rice to try for the brown rice texture. I'm still at a stage where I want to re-create what I'm used to a bit.

I look forward to seeing how you like the pineapple apple salad. Today I will be eating cantaloupe all day till it's gone, mostly so it won't go bad. I'm still raw, day 6, and feeling good. A few sniffles.

Thanks for the salad suggestion. I love Alissa's Honey Mustard Dressing, as I said in an earlier post, so I will make more today and try your salad. Just used greens yesterday.

Stay raw. You will probably feel worse at some point, when detox kicks in, so be ready for it and don't give in to any SAD cravings. Keep making food from Alissa's book!

Annie

[anniez]

Hi, Iamloved. Good to know you’re here. What do you do with the Mock Salmon Pate?

A big thank you to all of you checking in to let me know you’re here. It’s good to know I’m not in this alone! Please, suggestions for your favorites from Alissa’s book. I AM going to make every recipe, I just don’t know when I’m going to make what. A lot is driven by what is good and on sale at the supermarket. For example, today mangoes were $1 apiece – a really good price. They are rock hard, so I have to wait for them to ripen. But the Mango Pie is definitely on the agenda for the first ripe mango. I just hope they don’t all ripen at once! And avocados are also $1 apiece, so look for some avo dishes coming up.

Green Apple Parsley Drink I did something really wrong here. I must have had the wrong kind of apples, and I think I used too much parsley. I didn’t really understand what ½ head meant. I kept trying to redeem the recipe and just got in deeper and deeper. I don’t know how I could mess up apples and parsley, but I did! Any tips? I will try this again, because I trust Alissa that it’s good, but I’m going to pay attention to what kind of apple I have, and I will measure the parsley and taste as I go, not when I’m finished. I think I was in to too much of a mess to redeem it. Help, please, if you have made this!

Pineapple Apple Salad Some pineapple Tips: I have no clue if these tips on choosing a pineapple are legit or not, but I got a really good pineapple this time. Here’s what I’ve heard: It should have a lot of gold on it. Sniff the base and if it smells pineapply, it is probably ripe. Finally, pull out a leaf; if it is ripe, the leaf will pull out easily. Here is how I now prepare it: I cut off the top and I cut off the bottom. Then I stand it up and follow the shape cutting down the fruit to cut off the skin. Then I cut it in quarters and cut out the core. Works well and as painless as any method I’ve used.
I tasted my pineapple and apple separately and both were sweet and yummy, But when I got the salad put together, it was too acidic for me. So, next time I will use less ACV. I have one caveat and that is that I only ate half of it and the other half is waiting for me tomorrow. I will see how it ages, and will maybe decide that it does need all the ACV. This will be another staple.

Mock Salmon Pate Wow, Cenaw, thanks for suggesting this. Here’s another staple. It is really, really good. It’s also quick and easy (very important for me!). I think next time I will try it with some dulse or kelp, or some sea veggie to make it saltier without using more salt. I can only begin to imagine the versatility. I ate it yesterday as Alissa suggests, and as I said yesterday. Those of you who are into pates, please give some input for uses. Here’s a way I will use it: I will make a Salmon Salad Sandwich on whatever bread I happen to have with fresh juicy tomato slices and crisp lettuce leaves. Gotta make some bread now! Since I don’t have any bread right now, tomorrow I will have it in a romaine leaf with the tomato and lettuce! Hmm! Wonder about a few of those marinated onions. What do you think?

Dill Vinaigrette Another big hit! I made the full recipe of this, but it was still too small for my Blendtec, so I made it in my mini food processor. The Blendtec would have done a better job, I think, but I would have probably had to triple the recipe. I used fresh dill and fresh parsley, because I am pretty sure that’s what Alissa meant. She does say in her tips that even though each recipe won’t say it, that all ingredients are to be raw, so that’s what I used raw instead of dried. (There is at least one recipe, which one escapes me right now, that calls for dried dill.) I didn’t know if it was supposed to be measured before or after chopping, so I winged it. In other words, I used a big bunch of whole dill and not quite as much whole parsley. The processor didn’t do a real good job of pulverizing the dill and parsley, but it did chop them quite fine. And that’s what this dressing is – quite fine. Oh, I also cut back on the ACV because of my experience with the Pineapple Apple Salad. I am thinking that Alissa likes her dressings a little more tart than I like mine.

Do you know how some plastics just don’t want to give up oils that are in them? That is how the container is for my Black and Decker mini food-processor. It’s really hard to get all the oil out of it and get it clean. Next time I make this I will use my Slap and Chop to chop the dill and parsley. I will use a technique I used on the Food Network for the garlic: mash it with the side of the knife with the salt. Then I will shake everything together in a glass jar. Or, I might try it in a quart jar with my immersion blender. At any rate, I won’t be making it in my mini food processor again. But I WILL be making it again!

Un-cooking only Alissa’s recipes is really a good thing for me. I am learning so much from the variety of recipes, and I am learning a lot about my taste vs. hers. Case in point: the ACV. Also, she has been raw so much longer than I have that I am sure her tastes are quite refined. I can’t say the same about mine! And Alissa makes it clear that she spends a lot of time doing heavy-duty workouts! (Just look at her if you doubt it!) I do NOT spend a lot of time working out! So, it’s no wonder that I eat a lot less than she does.

OK, on to today:

Yay! One mango is ripe. Also, the market had big bunches of really ripe bananas marked way down, so I got a couple of bunches. So, today is all about mango and banana!

Recipe 38 Mango Pie Pg 496

Recipe 39 Banana-Avo Dip Pg. 308 (I don’t quite know what I will do with this. Alissa gives no suggestions. I think it might be too sweet for veggies, but maybe not. When I taste it, I will know what to do with it. I’m open to ideas from all of you.

Recipe 40 Banana Leather

More mango and banana coming up. Stay tuned!

Annie

[IamLoved]

Annie, My children love to eat the salmon pate right out of the food processor with some cut up veggies or raw crackers. I also make them into little patties and dehydrate them. They are good like that too. Sort of like crab cakes or something.

[cenaw/10]

Iamloved, crab cakes, I need to get a dehydrator.

[cenaw/10]

Tried the Tomato, Onion, and Avocado Sandwich (pg 439) and it was simple and delicious. I have several avocados ripe, so I looked them up in the index. I may try the Lemon Pudding (pg518) tonight to use another one...

[anniez]

Iamloved: Love the idea to dehydrate the Salmon Pate. Will try that. When I make this again, I will make the full recipe and dehydrate some. I love doing things like this that will keep the food longer and make it seem like a different recipe. Although, I love this just the way it is!

Cenaw/10: Did you make the Lemon Pudding? Check in on the results. Thanks for the review of the Tomato Avo Onion Sandwich. Don’t ya just love those quick, easy, delicious recipes? There’s a place in my life for more complicated food, but on a daily basis I like quick and easy!

Update on the Pineapple Apple Salad: I didn’t like this so much on the 2nd day. The apples didn’t turn brown, but they got quite soft. I liked the texture better on the 1st day when the apple was still crisp. I will only make enough of this to eat at one time. If I want to keep an apple salad for the next day I will make Waldorf Salad.

Banana Leather: Renee, here’s a great travel food! I always take bananas when I fly because they are easy and substantial. But how great is this????? It took less than 5 minutes to blend and get on the teflex. It is quite liquidy. I used two trays because I was uncertain if it would spread any more, but maybe it would only take one. I do wonder, though, if a regular blender would be strong enough to get the banana started. My BlendTec did it beautifully. Anybody done this with a regular blender? It took about 18 hours. I rolled it up and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Mango Pie: Wowsers, this looks like the SAD version of the banana cream pie made with the vanilla wafer crust. I made just the pudding since I have already made the crust and I didn’t want the nuts today. But when I poured it in the bowl over the sliced bananas and stirred it up, I couldn’t believe how it looked! I’m gonna try some of this on the Grands and see how it goes over. A tip I learned from Renee: Make this after you make the Banana Leather and you don’t have to wash the blender. This is also delicious and quick. Another staple! (If you’re making this and trying to get your blender to do triple duty like I did, make your crust last. You’ll need to wash the blender, though, because of the garlic in the dip.

Banana-Avo Dip I segued right to this from the Mango Pie without rinsing the blender. The mango may have made it a little sweeter, but I doubt it because the mango wasn’t exceptionally sweet. That’s another thing I have learned on this journey: taste the raw ingredients first! This is so-o-o-o good, I can’t even tell you. The garlic adds such an interesting note! And so quick! All told yesterday, I spent less than 30 minutes in the kitchen. I ate some of this rolled up in a romaine leaf and it was really good that way. Then for dinner I had it with raw carrots and that was out of this world. But, it did darken during the afternoon. If you don’t eat it all at one meal, try putting the avo pit on top of it and then put plastic wrap (I know, I know!) right on top of it. I think this is a recipe that is best when freshly made.
I am going to be looking for more combinations where I can use the blender or food processor without having to wash up every time, because it saves so much time!

Yesterday was a really great day – good food and very little kitchen time.
For today:

Very busy day so I am trying two simple recipes. I have some leftovers that need to be eaten.

Recipe 325 Pineapple Nut Cream P 325

Recipe 42 Walnut Fudge P 501

Let me know what you’re liking from Alissa’s book!

Annie

[IamLoved]

ok, I am going to have to look up that mango pie recipe and make some today. I will probably just do a pudding too because I have not felt like a lot of nuts lately either. But I DO have 4 ripe mangos that I just stuck in my fridge. Now they are just staring at me and I was just wondering what to do with them.

Off to look up that recipe.......

[somelikeitraw]

Update on the Pineapple Apple Salad: I didn’t like this so much on the 2nd day. The apples didn’t turn brown, but they got quite soft. I liked the texture better on the 1st day when the apple was still crisp. I will only make enough of this to eat at one time. If I want to keep an apple salad for the next day I will make Waldorf Salad.

Annie you are SO inspiring! As I was reading this I wondered about just blending the second day pineapple apple salad into a sauce. It might be nice over a slice of cheesecake or maybe even just a bowl of pineapple apple sauce?

Whats going on out front? OMG! It's the FedEx guy! YES!!!! My Excalibur is here!!!

WHEEEHAAAA!!! I'm off to have some fun! :D:D:D

[joya]

Just checking in. I love reading about everyone's recipe preparation.

I bought a ton of ingredients, but haven't had the urge to make anything yet in the month of November. I've been sticking to simple things (green smoothies) and made yet another batch of the mock salmon pate.

Perhaps tonight I will attempt the pasta & marinara sauce. I don't have a saladacco though, so I'll be working with larger zucchini pieces.

[cenaw/10]

Joya, that's funny I just made the pasta with marinara sauce (pg 395) a 1/2 hour ago. It's very good, and I want a saladacco too. I used my potato peeler for fettuccine type pasta and it was delicious. My 10 year old dd liked her little taste and promptly went out to the garden to hunt for any zucchini still lurking out there. She found a handful of tiny ones and made herself lunch. No PBJ for her today. I love that. I found the zucchini strips a little big, and took my kitchen scissors and snipped it up right in the bowl with sauce already on it. I could and probably will eat this weekly. I need to make some pesto very soon with the last of my garden basil. Saladacco, saladacco, saladacco, I chant.

[cenaw/10]

Oh, I failed to mention that I made Alissa's Ginger Vinaigrette yesterday to marinate cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms in. I had a bowl of that for dinner last night. It's good. I think I would add a dash of sesame oil to use it as a salad dressing.

[IamLoved]

In case any of you are interested I have learned that the fettucine alfredo taste even more awesome (if that is possible) after it has spent some time in the dehydrator. It gets really thick and has a definate "cooked" texture. I like to eat this in the winter when it is cold outside and I am craving something really substantial.

BTW I just made the mango pie filling. I didn't add the sliced bananas though and I am just eating it out of a bowl as a pudding. It is really yummy and so simple. I love simple and yummy!

[anniez]

Woo Hoo! You guys are doing what I hoped would happen – getting a dialogue going. Thanks! I’m hoping we can get more people talking specifics!
Iamloved: Glad you tried the Mango Pie. No kidding, when I put the sliced banana in the pudding it looked just like SAD vanilla pudding with bananas sliced in it. But it sure tasted better than that ever did. And I just felt so joyful knowing every bite was seriously good for my body! And thanks for the tip about the Fetuccine Alfredo. I made a note in my book to dehydrate some when I make it. For how long did you leave it? Has anybody tried freezing this?

A side note: I love the wide margins in the book to make notes! And I really love the comprehensive index. (Which reminds me, the Kale Salad is not in the Index.) I like to fix food based on what is on sale! I do NOT like the recipes where you have to turn the page, though. Hope her next book is laid out better.

Somelikeitraw, thanks so much for the kind words. I want to inspire everyone to stay raw, and these delicious recipes can’t do anything but help! And I LOVE your idea about blending the Pineapple Apple salad into a sauce. That never occurred to me. I am writing your suggestions in my book. Do tell, what is in your dehydrator!!! I know how much fun you are having, because I remember the day I got mine. I hope you got the teflex sheets with it.

Joya, thanks for checking in. Have you tried using your food processor to make pasta? It’s not the same, the strands are lots shorter, but it night work for you. You can also use your peeler to make thin slices, stack them up, and slice them.

Cenaw/10: Love that your dd scrounged the garden because she liked your food. What a joy that must have been for you. Try Gus’s Pesto. It’s really good. If you still have some zucc, try it over that. I see all kinds of Pesto Pasta on the Food Network. And thanks for the suggestion of veggies to marinate in the Ginger Vinaigrette. I wrote that in my book also. How long did you let it marinate? Did you have any left, and if so, how was it the 2nd day?

Pineapple Apple Salad: Something I forgot to say and just noticed when I went to the recipe to write Somelikeitraw’s ideas. I don’t peel organic apples. I think there’s a lot of nutrition in the skin, but I could be wrong about that. I used some kind of red apple, and the skin gave it a pretty color! I soaked the raisins, but in retrospect, it might have been better the
2nd day if I hadn’t.

Yesterday: The Pineapple Nut Cream is really good. I used it as a dip for sliced apples. Let me know what you are doing with it.
As Rachael Ray would say, “Yummo” for the Walnut Fudge! It doesn’t have any kind of chocolate ingredient. I didn’t eat much of it yesterday, because I wanted to take it with me today to get me into the afternoon. I think this needs refrigeration, or it would be good travel food. Any ideas on the refrigeration?

OK, now for the Time Out! Hubby hit me with a surprise yesterday: We are leaving early this morning with a group of friends for a 4-day weekend. It will be a lot of fun, but I have mixed emotions because I have been doing so well staying all raw and eating great food. Breakfast will be fine, because I know the hotel’s Breakfast Buffet will have fruit. The other meals will be a challenge, I’m sure! I’m going to stay as raw as I can, but I’m not comfortable with making it a challenge for a waiter or chef. Maybe someday I will be, but maybe I won’t. That’s not really my personality, and it would make my husband very uncomfortable. So, I will be eating lots of salads and not making a fuss! Wish me well.

I don’t know if I’ll even have Internet Access, so I will definitely be going through withdrawal. Keep the conversation going, folks, so I’ll know what to make when I get back! I hope there’s lots of good reading here for me.

Out the door….

Annie

[Veganforlife]

Oh Annie - we'll keep it RAWkin' - promise. Have FUN!!!

[cenaw/10]

The veggies in vinaigrette were made the day before eating and were good. It was also good the next day. I added the mushrooms to my serving (eating) bowl, (not the main marinating bowl.) Then I let the mushrooms marinate as long as it takes to come to room temp, maybe an hour. I find If I let mushrooms marinate too long I don't like how mushy they get. But the broccoli and cauliflower only get better.

[Veganforlife]

I find a LOT of the foods taste better in a few hours or overnight.
They meld together...

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie!!!

I'm so proud of you!!! You're RAWkin' it!!!! I've been so busy lately...haven't had any time to post!!! But, I just HAD to tell you what happened yesterday!

I had a RAW lunch with my MOM!!!! I took some things over her house for her to taste, and she loved everything I brought. Here was the MENU: Everything is from ALISSA!!!!

* Apple Nori Rolls

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/30DaysRAW-010.jpg

* Cheese Cake from Grezzo!!!

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/Photos028.jpg

* Flax Crackers with Cheese from Grezzo!!!!
* IceCream from Grezzo!!!
* GREEN SMOOTHIE!!!!

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/30DaysRAW-009.jpg

Actually, Mom has never had a Green Smoothie!!! This was her 1ST one!!!! I made it at her house with her Blender so that she could see how easy it was to make it!!! Hers doesn't have the power that mine has, but it was still GREAT!!! She really LOVED Alissa's Cheese!!! I will have to order one for her and have it shipped to her house as a gift--but, I only gave her a "SAMPLE" of mine!!! Sorry, just couldn't give it up!!!! LOL!!!!

I'm getting near to the end of my Alissa "BOX" of food!!!! :( It's been a WONDERFUL week, though!!!! I wish she lived near me...I'd eat at Grezzo EVERY DAY!!!! The food is AWESOME!!!!

I'll probably pick with with you in a few days and see where you are in what you're making. Sounds great so far! A lot of things I have made in the past and have photos floating around in my 30 day threads...

Keep RAWKin' it!!! You're SUCH an INSPIRATION!!!

Hugs,
Nee'

[cenaw/10]

Okay, I admit to having splurged on a saladacco from ebay yesterday after my lunch of pasta marinara. I hope it comes very soon. It's shipping from within my own state!!! Now to start an $ envelope for a dehydrator. Oh, and more counter top space in my kitchen...

Annie, I hope you have a great time on your trip and are able to discreetly order raw consistently. This Saturday night we are going to Mexican food for a BDay party. I'm a little nervous. My husband said to eat before we go, then if a "side" salad is all I can find, I won't be starving for other things. Also we will be going to someones house after for cake, so I should bring a dessert. I'll search the site for Mexican restaurant tips, unless you have some here to add. Mexican restaurants have huge meat/cheese & chip filled salads, and I'm not sure if I'm up to trying to explain raw to an almost English speaking waiter...

This morning I made the Lemon Pudding (pg 518) and it was very tasty. I like lemon desserts though. It IS green. It looks like plain avocado blended. I had quite a time blending it in my regular blender...a vita mix would have done better. So, I added another lemon (mine were small) and the juice of 2 more, and a tad bit of water to make it work. But it did work, and is delish.

[ReneeH]

Hey Cenaw/10...here's a tip when you get your Saladacco--After making your noodles, let them sit out on the counter a few hours before eating... Letting them sit will firm up the texture of the Zucchini Noodles and make them PERFECT for Alissa's Spagetti Pasta w/Marinara Sauce!!!

[Sweet lips]

I am so inspired by this, Renee's and Veglife's threads, and have picked up my book once again. It has been a minute since I have posted, but I am back and good to go.

[Veganforlife]

I am so inspired by this, Renee's and Veglife's threads, and have picked up my book once again. It has been a minute since I have posted, but I am back and good to go.

Yes! THAT's what I'm talkin' about!

[Green_Woman]

I find a LOT of the foods taste better in a few hours or overnight.
They meld together...

Agreed in my experience, as well. ESPECIALLY the lasagna recipe from Gabriel Cousen's "Rainbow Green" book... it just got yummier the longer it marinated in its own delicious juices.

[Veganforlife]

Here's MY version of Alissa's lasagna

[Veganforlife]

Hello?
::taps on compter screen::
where is everyone? Annie hoped we'd keep up this thread. come on everyone...where bees 'ya?

[cenaw/10]

Today I made the Kim-Chi (pg 299) and ate some right away. It was very good. We'll see how it is tomorrow as it's supposed to set out. I've never had Kim-Chi before, so I don't know what it's supposed to taste like. I like it.

[cenaw/10]

And I think Annie's out of town.

[cenaw/10]

As I was typing the above, my saladacco arrived. That was fast! I don't have any summer squash!!! I'll have to use it tomorrow. What else do you use it for, I must look in the index...I must go to the store.

[Veganforlife]

You can use beets on the thinner setting. I've done that and added some nuts, coconut, a little agave, some orange juice and it makes a really pretty topping on a greens bed. I've also chopped up some orange and added that...

[Veganforlife]

And I think Annie's out of town.

Yes she is but we said we'd keep her thread going...kim chi eh? I'll have to try that!

[ReneeH]

I absolutely LOVE Alissa's KIM CHI!!!!!! I have a photo of it in my 30 day EXTENDED Thread!!! When I made it, my 7 yr old daughter loved it so much, she requested to 3 days in a row!!!!

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/KimChi.jpg

I'm sure you'll Love it too!!!!

Lucy, your Lasagne looks AMAZING!!!! Did u make that from the veggies u bought on your $60.00 shopping spree???

[Veganforlife]

My mouth is watering for kim chi!
Nope I had the squash before my trip to the market. I'm gonna see what drinks of Alissa's I haven't made and make some of them this upcoming week... Isn't this fun living and eating like this? I feel like I'm back in home ec classes in school! LOL! Nowadays it's called Family and Consumer Sciences. Pft. It will ALWAYS be home ec to me...

[ReneeH]

That reminds me of a drink that Alissa made for me in Boston!!! She used Strawberries and it had a bit of a Fizz to it! For the life of me, I can't recall what exactly she put in it!!!!!! Hopefully she will see this post and chime in! Of not, I'll have to call her and ask...

It was SOOOO Good, though!!!! Made me feel like I was having a REAL DRINK!!!! ...which, of course it WAS!!!!

[anniez]

It was a very difficult weekend, to put it mildly! First, because hubby surprised me, I didn’t have time to do any prep ahead. I’ve done lots of traveling since I went raw and have had no trouble, but this was much harder because it was a group of people and not just the two of us. The first day we went to Mexican for lunch. I had a vegetarian salad which was made with romaine and cooked black beans, tomato, and guacamole. It was good and I felt great afterward. Then that night was Red Robin (ugh!) I ordered something I used to love, the Asian Chicken Salad. Gave the chix to hubby and started eating the salad, but it didn’t taste right. I only ate about half of it. Later, I got really queasy and just didn’t feel right. “It” hit in the night and I was up and down all night. In retrospect, I think the dressing was rancid and the lettuce had preservatives, and my body has been to clean to handle it. The whole next day I felt off and, since I was now scared of salads, really didn’t eat much! And that was OK, because I just wasn’t hungry. The weekend progressed that way, and now you can see why I’m so happy to be home.

I’m just checking in to see what happened while I’ve been away, and to see what’s been going on. I’ll be back in the saddle again tomorrow with my plan for the day. A big thank-you to all of you who kept things going!

Cenaw and VFL – thanks for the marinating suggestion. Will try it for sure with some of the dressings I haven’t made yet.

Renee – how awesome about your mom. Do you think she’ll make herself a green smoothie every day? What an awesome way to get her started. Are any of the cheeses in Alissa’s book as good as the one you got from Grezzo? (Sure hope so!) Glad to have you back. It’s funny you calling me an inspiration when you’re the one who started it all!

Cenaw – I’m so glad you’re getting a Saladacco. I bet you’ll use it a lot. I have “graduated” from the Saladacco to a World Cuisine Tri-Blade Slicer. It’s more heavy-duty and I like to do carrots for carrot pasta and also beets. Thanks for the Lemon Pudding suggestion. I’ll put it on tomorrow’s plan.

Renee- Great tip for the noodles. Thanks! Haven’t done that yet.
Sweetlips – Welcome! Now, don’t be silent! Let us know what’s goin’ on! You’ll be so glad you’re making Alisa’s great food!

VFL- Yes, that's what I'm talkin' about too! And thanks for the nudge to everyone! And thanks for the great photo!

Greenie – Wouldn’t it also work with Alissa’s Lasagna?

Cenaw – How was the kim chi the next day? It’s going in my plan, but don’t know if for tomorrow! Thanks for the suggestion.

VFL: Great beet tip. It’s on my list for when I finish working thru the book!
(And it’ll always be Home Ec to me, too!)

Well, now I’m going to play around RFT for awhile and decompress from the weekend. I’m exhausted, and it’s not all from the running around, but from the awful food! If anyone doubts this raw food business, stay raw for 30 days then spend one day SAD. You’ll be a believer! And if you haven’t ever done 30 days raw, then get Alissa’s book and follow her plan. It’s wonderful and quite comprehensive! You MUST get a feel for how delicious food can be. It's hard to believe food this delicious can be good for our bodies!

Till tomorrow,

Annie

[anniez]

Glad to be back with Alissa! I’m working on my Thanksgiving menu for me, as I also cook a SAD meal for the rest of the family! The family brings some food, so I don’t do the entire meal. I like to do a lot of the prep ahead of time, as I don’t want to come to the table exhausted! My food needs to be things that are really quick, or do ahead. So, for today:

Recipe 43 Pineapple Pecan Salad in Radicchio Pg 457 (I may do this for Thanksgiving for the entire family, depending on what it looks like and how it tastes. I’ll run it by SAD hubby!)

Recipe 44 Mango Lassie Pg 538 (I’d love to do an “Egg Nog” with almond milk, but there isn’t a recipe in the book, so that’s out! Remember, I’m preparing only Alissa’s recipes until I finish every recipe in the book.)

Recipe 45 Apple Prune Leather Pg 525 The Banana leather was so easy and so yummy that I decided to try this one out on the Grandkids!

Recipe 46 Lemon Pudding Pg 518 I’m doing this at Cenaw’s suggestion. (And, I won’t look at it, I’ll just eat it and pretend it’s yellow.)

I am really liking all the things Alissa does with avocado. I had no idea it was so versatile!

Have a great day!

Annie

[somelikeitraw]

Gosh! Look at all I have missed while our internet was down!

Annie ~ I wish I could have told you of the wonderful servers that have helped me when out and about in the SAD world eating RAW. Every time I have explained to servers that I eat raw and ask for a salad of just greens with tomato, avocado and carrots, with a bowl of lemon wedges on the side to use as a dressing, they have been very supportive. A few times I ended up with lettuce that was really only fit for the compost but the servers were always helpful and happy to make my meal something I might enjoy. I have even asked for the meat part of a meat topped salad to be put into a to go container, as hubby still eats that way, and have always been given smiles in return. I think the way one asks has a lot to do with it. Far better to give someone else the gift of helping you stay healthy than you getting ill and not enjoying your weekend!
Glad you are back and feeling better!

I made Alissa's Almond Milk and Mayonnaise yesterday. The milk was delish and even my 14YODD thought it wasn't bad (although she also said it wasn't good but thought straining it would help and that it would be good if served with cookies). I wasn't too thrilled with the mayo right after making it. It tasted better and had a better consistency after some time in the fridge. I put some on a slab of onion bread and topped it with avo slices and that was good. Then later I put some over some thick beefsteak tomato slices and it was good, then a light bulb went off and I sprinkled the whole thing with some salt free Spike and it was delish!

Saladacco dreams - I'm thinking that right now I can use the thin julienne blade on the mandolin and make pasta that way. I would love to get the World Cuisine Tri-Blade Slicer for the house and a saladacco for the motor home. Also on the motor home wish list is a 5 tray Excalibur but that will have to wait as I just splurged on the 9 tray model. DH says I can wrap the box and put it under the tree in December. We currently have some banana slices (DH's fun) and some soaked, then rinsed in Nama-Shoyu almonds that are getting crunchy. I am wanting to do some bread like item very soon and am thinking maybe the burger buns as I really want something that mimics bread-bread. I have A LOT of sewing to do for a musical at DD's school though, so I am off to sew instead of create raw goodness... for now.

[cenaw/10]

The Kim-Chi was even better the next day. I had it covered at room temp about 24 hours. I wish I'd made the whole recipe. I will next time.

My saladacco came already (in 2 days!) and I had zucchini spiralized with some of my marinara today. It was good. Now I'm gonna freeze the rest of the marinara for other days.

I've been too busy to make much from Alissa's book, eating fruits and salads. So, if this trend continues I'll try some salad dressings and more of the salads that seem to keep in the fridge. Any suggestions. I need to be able to grab something quite often. My life is sooooo full with 10 kids. My son who is away at school just called last night for a chat and he might go study in Israel for next semester. Gotta find about $1200 for his flight...I guess no dehydrator (excaliber) in my near future. But I should probably look for something less wonderful at thrift stores, etc, because I want crackers. I ordered some raw flax ones from my coop. Should get them next week. Oh, guacamole and salsa and chips!!!! But at the price of purchasing those chips we could probably ALL go to Israel for a few months!

[ReneeH]

I got my first dehydrator from Walmart for around $40.00. It is circular with a hole in the middle, but it worked for me until I got a chance to upgrade 2 years later. I still use it from time to time, though...

10 KIDS!!!!! WOW~~~~!!! You've been/are busy!!! :) I have GOT to tell my 7 yr old how much you liked the KimChi!!! She had it 3 days in a row and STILL talks about it!!!

Oh, BTW, Annie...Alissa's Cheese is just to LIVE for!!!!

[anniez]

Somelikeitraw: I know how you feel with your internet down. I was offliine for 4 days and really missed the support I get here. When hubby and I eat out alone I have no problem trying to get “my kind of food,” but this was a group of 18 people and it just wasn’t appropriate with that many people. Waiters get pretty harried with parties that big! My experience with the mayo was the same as yours – it really does need some refrigerator time. And, also, it benefits from some flavorings. I added some leek to some of it, and that was really good, too! And yes, you can make pasta with your julienne blade. Can also do that in the Cuisenart, although the texture is the same, the noodles aren’t as long. And you sound like me with your home and motorhome (I have a home in CO and one in AZ) – one raw food kitchen is expensive to set up, but two are ridiculous!

Cenaw: Thanks for the tip on the Kim Chi. I am a little afraid of this recipe because I am just not into spicy food very much. What do you think it would be like without the red chili flakes? Look for a dehydrator at places like Goodwill. No, it won’t be an Excalibur, but it will get you going. You will more than save what you paid for it if you make your crackers. They are ridiculously expensive to buy, and ridiculously inexpensive to make!

Renee: I know you’re from Texas so you’re probably more used to spicy food than I am. (Grew up in the Midwest with a mom who used next to no spices – good food, just not highly seasoned!) Did you use the red chili flakes? As I said before, I’m a little afraid of this recipe!

Pineapple Pecan Salad Rolled in Radicchio Leaves I know I keep saying this, but this recipe is awesome! Wow! It is fairly sweet with the pineapple and jicima and carrot, and it nicely offset the bitterness of the radicchio. I wish I had some candied pecans left, because that would have been even better, but the crunch of the pecan with the crunch of the jicima gave the salad great texture. I diced the pineapple and jicima pretty small, and it made it easy to roll the salad in the radicchio. Cilantro is one of the few things I just can’t eat, so I substituted parsley. I saw Michael Chiarello on the Food Network making a caponata in radicchio and he said to soak the radicchio in ice water for 10 minutes to cut the bitterness, so I did that. I also cut out the white vein, because I find that very bitter. This recipe is really good, but I won’t fix it for Thanksgiving. My SAD family wouldn’t eat it, and it is a little time-consuming with all the ingredients. But it is really good. I have some left, so I will see how it keeps until tomorrow. Now to show my stupidity! Alissa says, “When I make this salad, I cut the middle of the pineapple out, leaving the core, stem, and base. Placing this pineapple ‘tree’ in the middle of this salad makes a wonderful presentation.” Does she mean to do this with the salad without the raddichio? Does she mean to stand up the “tree” and pile the salad around it? Does she mean to pile the radicchio filled with the salad around it? HELP! Really, somebody please help!

Mango Lassie This was really interesting – and quite good. But, truth be told, I think I will try it just blending everything together rather than freezing the mango, oj, and dates first. It has a delicious flavor!

Lemon Pudding I found this quite tart! I also had difficulty with just half the recipe because it wasn’t really enough for the blender. Next time I make this I will make a full recipe and add a few more dates. I saved some of this to see what it does overnight, because I am thinking it would be great as a pie filling with a “meringue” of some kind – or maybe one of Alissa’s Whipped Creams.

Apple Prune Leather Well, it always helps to read the directions
carefully. I started it off in my Blendtec, and Alissa clearly says the food processor! The recipe wasn’t very big so I put it in my mini Black and Decker instead of the Cuisenart. It really didn’t do a great job of blending! (And I had TWO things to wash!) I wasn’t crazy about the taste right out of the processor. I will try this again, and I will double it. (Do you believe it: me doubling a recipe?) Also, I wish I had used a sweeter apple because it is kind of tart. I added about 2 teaspoons of the soak water, because I just couldn’t get it going. It only made enough leather for one tray.

OK – I need some input! I love persimmon. I bought one yesterday, and now I need to know how to use it with one of Alissa’s recipes. HELP!!!

Today will be much simpler since I have food left from yesterday.

Recipe 47 – Mrs. Ackerly’s Dressing Pg 518 I am going to follow the suggestion some of you have made and will marinate cauliflower in this overnight.

Recipe 48 – Potato Salad Pg 447 I have some jicima left, so I am going to use it in this recipe.

Well, that's it for today. C'mon folks, check in here and let us know what you're making and loving.........

Annie

[cenaw/10]

Annie, I'm not into spicy either and didn't have red pepper flakes. So I used a pinch of cayenne. I would add two pinches next time for warmth. I almost always cut hot stuff by about one fourth when I make a recipe and work up to how I like it. The Kim-Chi could have used a little more warmth.

And my lemon pudding was good the next day. I put the pit in the bowl, but not any part of it was discolored. All that lemon I suppose.

[Veganforlife]

Annie - use the persimmon to make a pudding or a pie...a little one at least...

[somelikeitraw]

Recipe 47 – Mrs. Ackerly’s Dressing Pg 518 I am going to follow the suggestion some of you have made and will marinate cauliflower in this overnight.

This is my FAVORITE dressing right now! I LOVE this stuff and can't seem to get enough of it. It is great on everything I have tried it on, although I haven't tried marinating veggies in it. Gonna have to try that!

My copy of Alissa's book has this dressing on page 481, for anyone who doesn't find it on page 518. :)

[anniez]

Annie, I'm not into spicy either and didn't have red pepper flakes. So I used a pinch of cayenne. I would add two pinches next time for warmth. I almost always cut hot stuff by about one fourth when I make a recipe and work up to how I like it. The Kim-Chi could have used a little more warmth.

And my lemon pudding was good the next day. I put the pit in the bowl, but not any part of it was discolored. All that lemon I suppose.

Thanks for the input. I will use cayenne instead of the red pepper flakes.

Ane my lemon pudding is not discolored either. I'm sure you're right - it's the lemon

Annie

[anniez]

Annie - use the persimmon to make a pudding or a pie...a little one at least...

Thanks, VFL. Could I sub it for the pumpkin in Alissa's pie, do you think?

Annie

[anniez]

This is my FAVORITE dressing right now! I LOVE this stuff and can't seem to get enough of it. It is great on everything I have tried it on, although I haven't tried marinating veggies in it. Gonna have to try that!

My copy of Alissa's book has this dressing on page 481, for anyone who doesn't find it on page 518. :)

Yep, it's on Pg 481! Sorry for the confusion.

Annie

[anniez]

The Mango Lassie was really good today! Really thick, tastes like the best milkshake I've ever had!

The Pineapple Pecan Salad Rolled in Radicchio Leaves kept beautifully. I wrapped each one individually in plastic wrap and it's great! This is so good to know, because I will make lots of these the next time!

As I mentioned above, the Lemon Pudding did not discolor. I think I may make some whipped cream for it the next time I make it. It is pretty tart though. I ate it that way, but next time I will definitely do something to make it sweeter!

The Apple Prune Leather is not a real winner for me. I will not make it again. I'll stick with Banana Leather!

See ya!

Annie

[anniez]

Well, I don’t know if it’s Miss Ackerly as it says in the Index, or Mrs. Ackerly as it says in the recipe, but my hat is off to her for this dressing. Yummers! I tasted it before I added the cauliflower to marinate overnight. I’ll let you know later today how the marinated cauli is. This dressing will be a staple.
Let me tell you something I love about eating raw: you can really be creative. I know I’ll have some dressing left after I eat the cauliflower, so I will just eat it on a salad.

Potato Salad – This is beautiful. I am so frustrated that I can’t do photos, because the colors in this salad are gorgeous! No SAD potato salad ever looked this good. I didn’t get it made until late in the afternoon, so it is waiting for me in the fridge for lunch. I luv, luv, luv tahini, so I’m thinking I’m going to really like this. One thing I did was this: I have a problem with raw onion, so I read somewhere to marinate onion for awhile in salt water and that takes away some of the bite. I did that. Also, a trick for bell peppers: Cut off the top and the bottom and then run your knife around the inside of the pepper to remove the seeds and ribs. By far the best method I’ve ever used. I cut the good parts from the top and bottom. Before I used this method I would have seeds everywhere! Also, it is not corn season here, so I used organic frozen corn. It’s probably not optimal, because I know it’s been blanched, but I didn’t want to leave the corn out! You already know what a wimp I am about spicy foods, so I went light on the cumin and used parsley instead of cilantro. Can’t wait until lunch.

I have lots of raw recipe books, but I may never make another recipe out of any of them. I am finding so much food that I really love and that is quick and easy. Yes, there are some time-consuming recipes (and I am putting them off because I am so busy right now!) but so many are less than 5 minutes of prep time. I hope Alissa truly knows how much we all appreciate her! Well, she can’t possibly know how much I appreciate her, because there aren’t words to express it!!!

OK, for today:

Recipe 49: Avocado Chutney P 291 I am going to wrap this in radicchio leaves – I still have some left. I will eat most of it today, but will keep at least one overnight to see how it keeps. (I really like food that keeps for at least a second day.)
Yikes, my CSA box yesterday contained 4 (count them ladies and gentlemen – 4!) bunches of kale – 2 different kinds. Renee, thanks for the heads up about the different kinds of kale. These look really different, and I honestly wouldn’t have know the 2nd bunches were kale if they hadn’t had a tag on them. I have done the kale recipes already, so here is my strategy for most of the kale: I love the cheesy kale chips that are somewhere on this forum so I am going to make a couple of Alissa’s cheeses, smash the heck out of them into the kale, and dehydrate! I was bummed out at first because I love these chips, and, as you know, I am not making any recipes except Alissa’s until I’ve made every recipe.

As I looked over Alissa’s cheese recipes I noticed that she doesn’t use any nutritional yeast. I love nutritional yeast in cheese, because I think it really ratchets up the flavor. I think maybe Alissa doesn’t use it because it technically isn’t raw. But, I don’t worry about a little of something since the rest of my diet is so clean. Some of you may not agree with me on that, but it works for me.

Recipe 50: Nacho Cheese Pg 319

Recipe 51: Creamy Cheddar Cheese Pg 322

Since there are almost 300 recipes, I am one-sixth of the way there. Whew! I’m three weeks into this, so I still have awhile at this. Yippee! My only regret is that I have some faves that I can’t make right now since they’re not in the book! But I’m eating wonderfully tasty food!

C’mon, folks! I need your input. What recipes should I be making? As you can see, I’m shying away from the more complicated recipes, so tell me which one I should make first.

I’ll update later about the Potato Salad.

Off to the kitchen……….

Annie

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Hey Annie!!

You'll be surprised that Alissa does used nutritional yeast in one of her recipes, Cheesy Chips on pg. 340. :) It seems that I may have seen it in a couple more of her other recipes as well.

I do enjoy reading your adventure through Alissa's book!!

[LemonFlower]

I can't tell you which recipes to make - I'm amazed that you make all that you do! However, I do want to let you know how much I appreciate that you are taking the time to tell us about it.:D I'm one of the people that had never tasted a raw recipe that I liked (except for desserts, LOL). I got Alissa's book early on, got a Vita Mix and an Excalibur 9 Tray, but I never liked a single thing that came out of the dehydrator. I made it through 30 days of raw, and have been trying to get back to it since then. I gave away the Excalibur and swore to just stick to green smoothies and salads. However, you and Renee have given me a new lease on my raw life! Because of your reviews, I made Alissa's marinara sauce and LOVED it. I don't know why I never tried it before. I loved it so much, I bought a cheapo dehydrator with a temp setting and put it on some eggplant. It was great! I also tried Paul's pate from the book because I had all the ingredients on-hand and wanted something to put in wraps. I added half a red bell pepper to the recipe to make it work in the blender and it was great too!

Now, I'm excited to start trying recipes. Thank you for that!!!

If it weren't for this forum and for Revvell, I know I would not be reaping the benefits of rawdom. I feel blessed :-)

Much Love,
Katy

[anniez]

Whoa-Raw – thanks for the info and for checking in and letting me know you’re there. Glad you’re enjoying it. I’m enjoying it, too! LOL

Katie - Yay! I’m glad you’re inspired! I appreciate your kind words. I see that a lot of people are reading, but most aren’t saying anything, so it’s good to know you’re here and making great food! Staying raw is so worth it! It can take a lot of time, but it doesn’t have to! I’m finding that even half a recipe is too much food for me, and I’m having a lot left over, which is OK because I’m finding out what keeps for a day or two. I’m glad you feel blessed; I don’t feel blessed, I AM blessed!
OK, for the Potato Salad. Oh, wow, is it good today. It is hands down the best potato salad I’ve ever eaten. I kept reminding myself that this is really, truly good for me. I couldn’t eat it all today, so I’ll see how it is tomorrow. After sitting overnight it got really creamy – honestly, it’s like the mayo-laden “real” thing. To me, though, this one is the real thing! It will be a staple, and will be going to lots of picnics and potlucks next summer!

Mrs/Miss Ackerly’s dressing – This thickened up overnight, and got a little vinegary. It has great flavor, though. The cauliflower marinated in it is really good. Next time, if I plan to keep the dressing overnight, I will use less ACV. It is a really pretty color, in fact, it looks like the SAD French Dressing out of the bottle. I will be marinating a lot of veggies with this!

I still need to make the cheeses and get the kale going.

Annie

[Coconut Love]

Veganfor life…………didn’t you used to be a moderator? I remember a reply you made about fruit flies. I don’t like fruit flies in my kitchen. I find them disgusting! We are all at different places in this journey. My ”two birds with one stone” was a simple comment. I could never hit one bird with 100 stones. Please lighten up!

Guess she didn't get the joke veganforlife

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie!

I love Alissa's Potato Salad! Here's my photo from the 30 Day thread:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=52787&page=5

Just scroll down!!!

:)

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/AlissasPotatoSalad.jpg

[anniez]

Busy, busy day, so this will be short.

It worked! The kale is delish! So far it’s dehydrated overnight and it still isn’t as crispy as I want it to be, but it sure is good! I’m so glad I tried this.

Creamy Cheddar Cheese – I made the entire recipe and massaged it into an entire bunch of kale, then popped in the dehyd.

Nacho Cheese – I had trouble getting this going , so I would suggest putting the orange and red pepper in first and then the macadamias and the other ingredients. I made the entire recipe and massaged it into another bunch of kale, and it too is in the dehyd. I spread a little of it into a square to dehydrate like Alissa says to do, and it's still not dry enough, so I need to do it lots longer than the recipe says.

Avocado Chutney bit the dust, so that’s on the docket for today. I also have some Potato Salad and Marinated Cauliflower on their second day, so I’ll report how they kept.

Recipe 52 Almond Butter Balls Pg 510

Recipe 53 Walnut Mushroom Loaf Pg 399 (I will serve this wrapped in radicchio and that will be the last of my radicchio.

True Confessions: OK, folks, here it is: I’ve never prepared a raw pumpkin! Always used the canned stuff. But I want to make Alissa’s pumpkin pie which calls for shredded pumpkin. The shredded part I get, but what do I do to get to the flesh? (I have some baby pumpkins.) Do I cut in half and dig out the flesh, or do I peel it to get to the flesh. Can I wash the pumpkin seeds and then save them to use? I’d love some guidance here!

Till later…….

Annie

[anniez]

Hey Annie!

I love Alissa's Potato Salad! Here's my photo from the 30 Day thread:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=52787&page=5

Just scroll down!!!

:)

I remember that, Renee. Thanks for the link to the photo. It is a pretty salad, isn't it?

Annie

[LemonFlower]

Annie,

It depends on how big the pumpkin is. For one the size of a butternut squash, I cut it in half and take the pulp out. Then I cut it into pieces small enough that I can hold in my hands and peel it. Then I shred, dice, etc.

Good Luck - can't wait to hear how the pie turns out!

Thanks,
Katy

[Green_Woman]

Annie - I made the pumpkin pie last Thanksgiving... it was messy, but worth it! I cut the pumpkin in half (it was only about 6" diameter) and scooped out the seeds, then peeled the hard shell off the slices and used the pulp. It took awhile!

This year I'm going to try making Sweet Potato "Pumpkin" Pie from a recipe I ate last year at the Tree of Life Center's Thanksgiving party... it was possibly the best thing I've ever tasted!

If I can find a great recipe, I'll share in the other thread and find a way to cloak it so you can't see and be tempted. ;) :D

[katchmoleen]

I made a raw pumpkin pie a bit ago, used a small sugar pie pumpkin and just left the peel on. It is what gives commercial pumpkin its nice orange color; they just leave the peel on so I do the same. It turned out really great too.

[anniez]

Lemonflower , Greenie, and Katchmoleen, thanks for the tips. I am anticipating that this is going to be a messy job! And time-consuming. I’m not sure I understand about the skin though. Did you grate that as well? Wasn’t it tough? What about the pumpkin seeds? Can I use them in recipes calling for raw pumpkin seeds in Alissa’s book?

The kale chips needed about 24 hours to dehydrate and they are yummy! I have them sitting in a glass jar on the counter and can’t leave them alone. I know I keep saying this, but I keep reminding myself that all this delicious food is truly good for my body. I don’t remember much I ate on SAD that is as good as this living food.

I ate the rest of the Potato Salad yesterday, and it was still good. So, the official word is that it will keep for 2 days after the day it is made. The Marinated Cauliflower with Miss/Mrs. Ackerly’s dressing was even more vinegary than the day before. I didn’t have much left, and I’m glad! Not quite sure what the problem is with this. The dressing was good when freshly made, but it didn’t really keep while marinating the cauliflower. I think I’ll make it again just as a dressing and see how it keeps. But I am still going to do what I said before – cut the ACV. I don’t use a lot of ACV and it has a very strong taste to me that I’m not sure I like very much!

I really like the Avocado Chutney. I ate it wrapped in romaine leaves. I have some leftover, so I will see how it keeps for tomorrow. It’s also quite attractive, with the corn, avo, and red pepper. Tomorrow I will eat it on some crackers. I wish I had some corn chips, because it would be really good with that. Do any of you have suggestions as to what to do with it? I’d love to hear them!

The Almond Butter Balls are also quite good and also very quick. I made half a recipe and it only made four balls, so I think I will make the full recipe next time.

Well, the Walnut Mushroom Loaf wasn’t such a winner for me. It needs something and I’m not good enough at raw food to know what it needs. If I can’t figure out a way to doctor it up, I won’t make it again. Wow! I think that’s the first recipe I’ve said that about, and I’ve made 53 of them, so Alissa’s track record is spot on for me! I think I will make a cheese sauce to put over it and see if that helps.

With that said, here’s today:

Recipe 54: Marinated Asparagus and Tomatoes Pg 299 This uses the Ginger Vinaigrette as a marinade. I’ve already made the vinaigrette and liked it, so I think I will like this also. It is supposed to marinate overnight, so I will eat this tomorrow.

Recipe 55: American Cheese Pg 320 I am making this to put over the Walnut Mushroom Loaf to see if it will perk it up. I think I will dehydrate some of it and see if it might make a burger.

Recipe 56: Stuffed Portobella Mushroom Caps Pg 389

Have a great day – Friday the 13th! I'll spend the day looking for black cats and ladders to walk under!

Annie

[anniez]

Stuffed Portobella Mushroom Caps: One of my favorite meals is a plate of sliced tomatoes and avocado with a little sea salt sprinkled on, so I knew I would like this. It was so quick and easy, and I like it in the mushroom cap. This will be a staple. I don’t like raw onion if it hasn’t been marinated in something but I like the onion flavor, so I used some onion granules in this. Worked great!

American Cheese: I like all of Alissa’s cheese that I’ve made so far, but it didn’t do anything for the Walnut Mushroom Loaf. I guess I just don’t like the Walnut Loaf so I have written a NO next to it in my book.

Marinated Asparagus and Tomatoes: I just took a taste of this, and it’s really good. This will be a good spring recipe when the asparagus and tomatoes are in season.

For Today:

Recipe 57: Broccoli and Cheese Pg 290 I will use the rest of my American Cheese on this instead of the Cheddar called for.

Recipe 58: Mushroom Soup Pg 361

Yesterday I realized that I am feeling a little “off.” I don’t know how to describe it really, I just don’t have all the energy I have been having. After some reflection, I think I am eating too many nuts. Normally, I don’t eat a lot of nuts, or a lot of “heavy” recipes. I've been pigging out on the Cheesy Kale Chips because I really like them, but it's a nut base. I’m scaling back on the recipes and sticking more with my regular diet of fruit in the morning, a green smoothie at noon, then an hour or so later I’ll have lunch. But I’m going to concentrate more on salads and veggies “au naturale” without a lot of prep. I’ll probably only be doing one or two recipes a day. I’m hoping that will help me get back to feeling invigorated!

Have a great Saturday!

Annie

[rawrawks]

I made a raw pumpkin pie a bit ago, used a small sugar pie pumpkin and just left the peel on. It is what gives commercial pumpkin its nice orange color; they just leave the peel on so I do the same. It turned out really great too.

Did you soak the pumpkin first? I was wondering about this.

[katchmoleen]

No, I didn't, but this was a small pie pumpkin, pretty tender, not the big halloween pumpkins. I just cut it up and blended it in my vitamix.

[rawrawks]

Oh thankx!!!! I have two lil uns too

[anniez]

The Broccoli and Cheese turned out really good, but I left it in there for quite awhile to get the brocc really soft and the cheese really firm. This is also quite pretty. I didn’t eat a lot because I am cutting back on nuts, so I stuck it in the fridge to see how it fares.

Mushroom Soup: This was really good, but it needed something The next time I make it, I will add some onion granules, or more red pepper or something. Maybe some celery. I’ll just experiment. I really like raw soups. They are quick, easy, and usually really yummy.

For today, I am following my regimen of cutting back on nuts. I am making:

Recipe 59 Squash Soup This calls for almond milk and the milks don’t seem to bother me as much as the nuts.
I am also prepping the pumpkin, so, katchmoleen, I appreciate your help with this. Tomorrow I will make the pumpkin pie. I’m going to freeze it for Thanksgiving.

Thanks for hangin’ in with me.

Annie

[carrie6292]

Wow! This has definitely inspired me! I think i'm going to do this with Everyday Raw... starting with Thanksgiving! I'm juicing right now, so it's not ideal. The first day I will eat a real raw meal will be Thanksgiving....

I'm making Portobello Steaks with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Potato Salad
Pumpkin Tyme Pie
Chocolate Hazlenut Torte

I'm looking for a side dish and I'll have to look at the book more closely when I have time.

I'm also traveling the few days afterward, so I'm making some breads.

I'm not sticking ONLY to this book, but i'll make something from it everyday after i'm done juicing! This is super exciting!

Thanks for the inspiration!!!

[anniez]

Wow! This has definitely inspired me! I think i'm going to do this with Everyday Raw... starting with Thanksgiving! I'm juicing right now, so it's not ideal. The first day I will eat a real raw meal will be Thanksgiving....

I'm making Portobello Steaks with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Potato Salad
Pumpkin Tyme Pie
Chocolate Hazlenut Torte

I'm looking for a side dish and I'll have to look at the book more closely when I have time.

I'm also traveling the few days afterward, so I'm making some breads.

I'm not sticking ONLY to this book, but i'll make something from it everyday after i'm done juicing! This is super exciting!

Thanks for the inspiration!!!

Thanks for checking in Carrie. I'm glad to know that you're inspired like I've been inspired.

Your Thanksgiving menu sounds great. For a side dish I'm making Miss Hamlin's Cranberry Sauce today, and freezing it.

For traveling try: Alissa's Marinara, Alissa's Banana Leather, Alissa's Avo Chutney (this kept 2 days in the fridge for me). Check in and let us know what you're making each day and an evaluation of it.

Annie

[anniez]

Squash Soup. Alissa isn’t kidding when she says it’s sweet. It’s very sweet, and really too sweet for me. Next time I make it I will cut the dates. I will also use less OJ – if it needs more liquid I will add water. I will taste as I go, and add the dates if I need them. Also, I am not a fan of curry; I think it’s because of the coriander – if I don’t like cilantro it stands to reason I don’t like coriander either. So I used a combination of turmeric, cumin, and ginger. The flavor was fine, except for the sweetness. Also, since I get veggies from a CSA in the summer and fall, I like a really comprehensive index. This soup is listed under Squash Soup although Alissa calls for butternut squash. So, I added it in my index under butternut squash also.

I have the Corn Tortillas coming up soon. Alissa says to fill them with your favorite fillings. How about some help here? Remember that I am only using recipes from Alissa’s book, so can you suggest some things to use to fill them? Have any of you made the corn tortillas? If you filled them with something that’s not in Alissa’s book, I’d still like to know. I’ll make a note in my book next to the recipe for the next time I make them.

I didn’t get to the pumpkin yesterday, so that is on today’s agenda.
I am going to soak some buckwheat, chickpeas, and wheat soaking to make some recipes that call for those. All of those take at least 2 days to sprout.

For Today:

Recipe 60 Mango Salsa Pg 313

Recipe 61 Butternut Squash Patties Pg 401 These dehydrate overnight.

Recipe 62 Miss Hamlin’s Cranberry Sauce Pg 298 I will freeze some of this for Thanksgiving, and I will dehydrate some overnight and then freeze that.

I hope I get to all of this. Granddaughter coming over to bake a cake (and no, I won’t be tempted!)

Have a great day!

Annie

[carrie6292]

I didn't realize you could freeze the cranberry sauce - that is excellent to know! I think I will do the same! My dehydrator is going to be on for an entire week - I only have a 4 drawer.

Thank you for your traveling suggestions! I bought Alissa's book and haven't really looked at it since... i guess i have too many raw books! The Avo Chutney sounds amazing and I think i'm going to make it for Thanksgiving and then have extra on hand to make Thanksgiving night for my travels - i don't want to make a double batch if i'm not going to like it.

Have you tried the Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms on page 289? These sound really good and really easy! I think i might make these instead of the portobello balls... i'll have to compare ingredient lists and maybe i'll make both :) I just can't wait to eat again! 6 more days on my juicing journey!

Oh, and I think i'll make the cheddar broccoli, too... if nothing else, then for my car ride on Friday.

What spiralizer do you have? I like mine, but the strands com out a bit thick. I'd like one that does angel hair too!

Thanks again!!!!

[anniez]

Thank you for your traveling suggestions! I bought Alissa's book and haven't really looked at it since... i guess i have too many raw books! The Avo Chutney sounds amazing and I think i'm going to make it for Thanksgiving and then have extra on hand to make Thanksgiving night for my travels - i don't want to make a double batch if i'm not going to like it.

Have you tried the Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms on page 289? These sound really good and really easy! I think i might make these instead of the portobello balls... i'll have to compare ingredient lists and maybe i'll make both :) I just can't wait to eat again! 6 more days on my juicing journey!

Oh, and I think i'll make the cheddar broccoli, too... if nothing else, then for my car ride on Friday.

What spiralizer do you have? I like mine, but the strands com out a bit thick. I'd like one that does angel hair too!

Thanks again!!!!

Hi, Carrie, I can't suggest strongly enough that you get out Alissa's book. If you've read through the entire thread you will see how amazing these recipes are! The Avo Chutney is wonderful and kept a couple of days for me, so it will be good to take with you.

The Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms were one of the first recipes I made - check back to the first entries I made. In a nutshell, I loved them, but they aren't real pretty. I kept them for a couple of days, too.

When I saw "travel" I assumed you were flying, but if you are driving you can make lots of goodies and transport them in a cooler.

You do know, don't you, that when you are coming off a juice "fast" that you need to ease into eating? The Broccoli with Cheddar has nuts. My cheesy kale chips were bothering me, but I really was pigging out on them.

My spiralizer is a World Cuisine, and I love it. When it spiralizes, it leave the core of the veg on the machine, which I like because in the case of things like squash and cuke, a lot of the seeds are left behind so the pasta isn't as watery. For me, it is a lot easier to use then the other one. The downside is that it's a lot larger to store.

Thanks for writing, and check out Alissa's book!

Annie

[anniez]

Avocado – I am not as good (yet) at planning my raw food menus as I am at planning SAD menus. But then, I have almost 45 years experience in planning SAD menus and 16 months of planning raw menus. (EPPP’s thread on organization will help when I have time to implement it! If you haven’t seen that thread, check it out! I love it! She has even posted pictures of how her fridge looks.) One thing that has always been important for me is to have staples on hand. The staples are quite different for raw than for SAD. Bananas are easy, since I use so many of them, but avocado is more of a problem. Usually they are too hard to use when first purchased, so I have to let them sit on the counter for a few days. When they are finally ready, I am scrambling to remember how I wanted to use them. Somewhere I read that avos can be frozen, so I tried it. I just stuck several into the freezer. This morning I took one out of the freezer to use for the Squash Patties. When I cut into it it was gorgeous! Bright green and great consistency. Now I have a new tactic for avocado. I will buy several, especially when they are on sale. When they are ripe, into the freezer they go. I use a lot of avo because I love it and am tickled pink to find this strategy.

Miss Hamlin’s Cranberry Sauce – Whooee! Can you say TART? It was just too tart, so I added some honey. I didn’t peel the apples because my apples are organic. I chopped 2 in the food processor and then put them in the bowl. Then I processed the rest of the ingredients and added them to the bowl. I froze some, made some into a 9-inch round about ¼ inch thick on a teflex sheet and dehydrated that. I left it overnight and it turned into a cranberry leather. If you like the cranberry sauce, I think you will like the cranberry leather. It is another way to have raw food on hand. I also have some of the sauce left that I will eat today. This would be really good on some of the nut recipes, I think. It will be great for Thanksgiving. Truth be told, I’m not crazy about cranberries, so I probably won’t make this very often.

Butternut Squash Patties – This recipe is very inconvenient to make. You have to keep turning the page back and forth. I got tired of it so I wrote all the ingredients from the second page onto the first page and then abbreviated the directions on the first page also. I have mentioned before that I would like the recipes to be laid out in a better manner because many of them require turning the page back and forth. I made one-half of the recipe. I used ¼ cup of batter per patty. I got - 8 half inch thick patties from the half recipe. They are still in the dehyd.

Mango Salsa – I think I processed it too much, because it’s pretty runny, even with the mango chunks. This will come as no surprise to those of you who have been following along, but I am not a very creative cook. What I do really well is: follow recipes! So, I don’t really know what to do with this. I had planned to have it on a lettuce salad with lots of raw veggies, but the taste wasn’t right for that. So now I have all this salsa and not a clue what to do with it! Help!

Pumpkin – This was a real challenge. My pumpkin was about 8 inches across and 4 inches high. It was hard just to get the thing cut open. After I did get it open I separated the seeds from their gunk and put them on a dehydrator tray. It was kind of tedious (especially at the end of a long afternoon in the kitchen) to get the seeds separated, but pumpkin seeds are pricey, so I felt it was worth the time. I left a couple of clumps of seeds and gunk to see what happened. After overnite in the dehyd the gunk is pretty well dried out and easy to separate from the seeds. My pumpkin had tough skin, so I peeled it first. Then I cut it into chunks and whizzed it in the processor. It is waiting for me to make pie today.
My wheat, chickpeas, and buckwheat are now sprouting, so I’d love to hear your favorite recipes using these. Which bread, dessert, etc. should I make with these?
OK, now for today…….

Recipe 63 Kim-Chi This is supposed to sit overnite, so I will have it for tomorrow. I know that some of you have made this, so please tell me how long it will keep.

Recipe 64 Red Pepper Soup Page 363

Recipe 65 Tarragon Pepper Sauce Pg 368 Alissa says to use it like her Marinara Sauce, so I will try it over some kelp noodles. I haven’t tried kelp noodles yet, so I am looking forward to this.

Recipe 66 Pumpkin Pie I prepped the pumpkin yesterday, so it is ready to go. However, I am going to make it as a pudding, since I am staying away from a lot of nuts. If it is good, I will make it as a pie for Thanksgiving.

Please tell me:

1 – What can I do with the Mango Salsa?

2 – What recipes to make with my sprouted chickpeas, buckwheat, and wheat?

3 – How long will the Kim-Chi keep?

Busy kitchen day!

Annie

[carrie6292]

Hi Annie!

Yes, I am definitely easing back into eating slowly - trust me, I know it doesn't feel good to just dive right back into eating :) I don't want to do that to my body!

I was thinking of making stuffed mushrooms without seeds and or nuts. Maybe a little Quinoa if needed.

Thanks for the suggestions - I'm definitely making the Avo Chutney.

I made a Mangocado Salsa once and I just stuffed it in some collard greens and made a nice wrap out of it. No dipping sauce required since you have the salsa. Didn't you make the Tortilla's the other day? If so, then take the tortilla's and add the Salsa and maybe top with some Walnut/Olive Tepenade so that it resembles taco meat. Or, just do the Tortilla with Salsa and add some fresh veggies - peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, etc... You can also add some raw mayo and make it a creamy salsa. Can you use the salsa as a marinade for veggies and then soften in the dehydrator?

I've never had luck sprouting chick peas, but you could probably make a nice indian dish - maybe some raw falafal or some hummus? What about making a nice curry sauce and just pouring over chickpeas and other veggies?

Everything you mention sounds so delicious!!!!

Thanks again for doing this and for all the great suggestions - I really appreciate it!

[anniez]

[QUOTE=carrie6292;571110]I was thinking of making stuffed mushrooms without seeds and or nuts. Maybe a little Quinoa if needed.

I made a Mangocado Salsa once and I just stuffed it in some collard greens and made a nice wrap out of it. No dipping sauce required since you have the salsa. Didn't you make the Tortilla's the other day? If so, then take the tortilla's and add the Salsa and maybe top with some Walnut/Olive Tepenade so that it resembles taco meat. Or, just do the Tortilla with Salsa and add some fresh veggies - peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, etc... You can also add some raw mayo and make it a creamy salsa. Can you use the salsa as a marinade for veggies and then soften in the dehydrator?

I've never had luck sprouting chick peas, but you could probably make a nice indian dish - maybe some raw falafal or some hummus? What about making a nice curry sauce and just pouring over chickpeas and other veggies?

QUOTE]

Thanks for your suggestions. How do you use the quinoa?

I haven't made the tortillas yet, I was asking for ideas for fillings for when I do make them.

I'm trying to sprout the chickpeas to make the hummus in Alissa's book, but it's been cold here (we keep our house set at 65 during the day) and it's taking awhile.

By all means try the Tarragon Pepper Sauce for your car trip. It's delish and quite pretty and would be perfect for zucchini pasta!

Keep making suggestions - I am writing everything down in my book!

Annie

[anniez]

Do you know how sometimes life takes over and your well-laid plans are out the window? Today was one of those for me. But, finally, I am here!
Butternut Squash Soup This kept really well in the fridge. I ate the last of it today. It’s really, really sweet.

Butternut Squash Patties This was a no for me. In fact, I did something I rarely do – put them in the compost pile. I really did not like the taste and didn’t think any kind of sauce or gravy could redeem them.

Pumpkin Pie – Thanks, katchmoleen for the ideas for prepping the pumpkin. I used pumpkin and almonds. This has a great flavor with all the traditional pumpkin pie spices, but I couldn’t get it as smooth as I would have liked. Also, I had to add some extra water. The dates didn’t say to soak, so I didn’t, but I think they should have been. Also, I would change the prep a little. Next time I will process just the pumpkin and the water and get it as smooth as possible. Then I will add the dates and do the same thing. Then I will add the rest of the ingredients. A great addition to my Thanksgiving dinner, this is going into the freezer!

Kim-Chi I left out the red chili flakes and used some cayenne instead, because I know Kim-Chi is supposed to have some heat. I am just such a heat wuss! But this is really good. For once I made the entire batch, because I think it will keep well. I wish one of you would verify that for me.

Red Pepper Soup This is really good, the apple gives it a sweetness and the parsley gives it some zing, but it is an awful color. My husband wandered through the kitchen as I was pouring it into a bowl and in an incredulous manner said, “Are you going to eat that? " It looked like mud. It really is good, but it is hard getting past the color.

Tarragon Pepper Sauce – This is really good and a pretty orange color. I wish I liked kelp noodles as much as I like this sauce. This sauce will be a staple.

For today:

Recipe 67 Cabbage Pear Salad
I got quite a bit of cabbage in my CSA share, so cabbage is going to be on the menu a lot! Also more kale. Have any of you ever put cabbage into a smoothie, or juiced it? I’d love to hear from you.

Have a great day – what’s left of it. I’ll be back tomorrow!

Annie

[carrie6292]

I'm assuming your don't have children :) I have a 5 year old and I wouldn't even know where to find the time to make all of the food you do - it sounds so easy when you say all that you made! Everything but the butternut stuff sounds good! Thank you for the suggestion of making the Pepper Sauce. I'll look it up tomorrow. I'm just so overwhelmed with everything else in life... i'm tentatively set up my "eating schedule", so that's a plus! I just have to sit down on Sunday afternoon and really organize it... what goes into the D and when and all of that good stuff! The Kim-Chi sounds amazing too! Thanks for making that one!!! I do not care for un-cooked Pumpkin, so I'll be making Matthew Kenney's pumpkin pie this year- using carrot juice instead of any pumpkin - it's had rave reviews. I know this is an Alissa site, but I'm having a Matthew-Thanksgiving :)

As for the Quinoa... you can soak and sprout it and use it as if you were using rice (some really like it as their sushi rice) or, you can throw it into smoothies for some extra protein. I like it because it's the only thing I've ever had luck sprouting! It's really good for you and doesn't have an odd taste (in my opinion).

Well, i'm finally off to bed - before midnight, a huge fete for me!

Good night - I can't wait to hear how you like tomorrow's menu!

Cabbage - your supposed to be able to juice it, but I can't recall ever doing it and doing it well! I love cabbage! Matt Amsden has 2 wonderful cole slaw recipes (one is a creamy cole slaw and the other is a Thai slaw. I am infatuated with the thai slaw!!!!).

Have a wonderful night!

[truthfairy]

Annie, Thank you so much for posting your experiences. Reading your posts is one of the highlights of my day and I hang on every word. You are inspiring me to try more of the recipes rather than just staying with a few favorites. For example, I made a mango salsa, but used the pineapple salsa recipe, substituting mango, because the mango was quite green. I had to add some honey, too, as it was fairly tart. However, it was so tasty that I was eating it with a spoon as a snack food. You asked for ideas for using the sprouted grains. If I were sprouting grains today, I would make either the calzones (first choice) or a pizza. Both look wonderful and people have posted raves about them in this forum. When you make the tortillas, you can stuff them with chopped and marinated vegetables (tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, zucchini, spinach, or whatever you have) and some of the salsa.

I missed Renee's 30-day plan posts, but have looked them up and will read through them all too. You two are great assets to this forum and much appreciated!

Truthfairy

[anniez]

I'm assuming your don't have children I just have to sit down on Sunday afternoon and really organize it... what goes into the D and when and all of that good stuff!

As for the Quinoa... you can soak and sprout it and use it as if you were using rice (some really like it as their sushi rice) or, you can throw it into smoothies for some extra protein. I like it because it's the only thing I've ever had luck sprouting! It's really good for you and doesn't have an odd taste (in my opinion).

Well, I do have children but they're grown. My grandchildren live close, so I spend a lot of time with them, but not necessarily daily.

Thanks for telling me about the quinoa. I have some and I'm going to try sprouting it. Maybe I'll try it instead of wheat in some of Alissa's recipes. Back in my breadmaking days (I ground my own flour from whole grain and made every morsel of bread that went into my family's mouths) my family loved bread made from kamut, so I think I'll try sprouting that too.

Thanks for your comments.

Annie

[anniez]

You are inspiring me to try more of the recipes rather than just staying with a few favorites.

When you make the tortillas, you can stuff them with chopped and marinated vegetables (tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, zucchini, spinach, or whatever you have) and some of the salsa.

Hi, truthfairy, thanks for checking in and thanks for the kind words.

Thanks for the suggestions for the tortillas. I saw yesterday that the enchiladas in Alissa's book call for the tortillas, so when I make the tortillas I will use some of them for the enchiladas, but I appreciate your suggestions and will definitely do that. Watch for it coming up!

Annie

[anniez]

Euphoric! That’s how I feel today and that’s what I was missing. I mentioned a few days ago that I just didn’t feel right, but couldn’t put my finger on it. Well, it was the euphoria I had been feeling. It was gone, but it’s back! Yippee! So, I will continue to be careful with the nut consumption.

Another thing: I don’t have much desire for desserts. I have said that I eat only fruit until noon, and I think that seriously curbs my sweet tooth. I will definitely make every dessert in the book, because my commitment is to make every one of Alissa’s recipes, but the desserts aren’t very tempting.
Sprouting: The chickpeas and wheat are starting to sprout, so they may be ready later today, but I doubt it. A problem with the buckwheat: I’ve sprouted this before and had no problems, but this time it wasn’t doing anything. I checked the package and it said, “Organic Buckwheat.” Then for some reason I turned the package over and saw “Roasted Organic Buckwheat.” Jeesh! So, into the trash (not even the compost) it went. I need to get some raw buckwheat and start over.

Cabbage Pear Salad: Wow, this is seriously good. Another keeper! The dressing is so good that I’d make it on it’s own except for the fact that it calls for pineapple juice and pear juice. Maybe I’ll juice some pineapple juice and some pear juice and freeze them in the amounts needed for this dressing. I have always liked fruit and greens, long before raw, so I’m not surprised I like this. Next time I will use more carrot, because the white pear and white cabbage need the color of the carrot. This is really delicious and I encourage you all to try it. Now is a good time with cabbage and pears in season.

Today I am going to dehydrate a lot of apples, so only two recipes:

Recipe 68 Spinach Slaw Pg 461

Recipe 69 Grated Turnip and Apple Salad Pg 464

Renee and Greenie, are you here? I hope so, because the two of you are responsible for this!

Haven’t had time to play around on the board, so I don’t know what’s going on, but hope to have some time later today.

Annie

[anniez]

The Cabbage Pear Salad didn’t keep well overnite, so it should be eaten freshly made.

Grated Turnip and Apple Salad – I liked this pretty much. I am still developing a taste for turnip, so when my palate is more educated I will like it better. It is crunchy, sweet and the parsley gives it a nice fresh flavor. I love parsley, so that is what saved the turnip for me. It kind of masks it.

Spinach Slaw – I had to trouble getting the dressing blended in my blender because there wasn’t enough of it, so I doubled it. It is a good dressing, so I don’t mind having some extras. This is really good. The raisins were sweet and soft from the soaking and the grated apple added a nice note. I grated the apple using my box grater and used a red one without peeling it, so I got some pretty red in with the green. This is a keeper!

For Today:

It looks like the garbanzos and wheat will be ready later today. I’ve done wheat before, but I’ve never done garbanzos. Does anyone know how long the tail should be? Alissas’s chart says 1 cup of beans sprouts up to 4, and I only have 3 cups, so maybe they aren’t ready.

Recipe 70 – Hummus

Recipe 71 - Blueberry Bread

That’s it. I’m looking forward to the Blueberry Bread.

Annie

[carrie6292]

I'd love to hear how the Blueberry Bread turns out! That sounds really good! I think I'm going to make Joyce's Pumpkin Bread (i found it on her Blog the other night!).

I love how you explain what your dislikes and likes of a dish are... this is really, really helpful to me!

Other than the corn, have you tried any other soups that you really love? I have only fell in love with Miso Soup. I've tried a few other soups and didn't really like them - I think I like the less creamy soups. Any good ones??

[IamLoved]

Hi Annie,

I just wanted to let you know that I still pop in here every few days to see what you have been up to and to see what you have made and what you thought of it. You are really going through a lot of work preparing everything and then coming on here to tell us all about it and I really appreciate the honest evaluations of every recipe that you make. Just wanted to let you know that it is appreciated. Keep up the good work! :)

[ReneeH]

Hi Annie!!!

Yea, I still pop in from time to time...I'm SOOO proud of what you've done so far! You're doing FANTASTIC!!! Day 29!!!! WOW!!! You ***GO*** GIRL!!!! :)

I've been so busy lately...I haven't had a whole lot of time to prepare new things. I've just been keeping things simple...like, today I just had Fruit (2 Banana, 5 Clementines, 1 Apple) and for lunch a Simple Salad.

I wanted to stay with you in what you were making that I haven't made, but I just don't have the time to prepare some of the things you're making ...:) I wish I did!!! You just keep chuggin' on that RAW TRAIN, GIRLFRIEND!!! I'm still on my horse, riding beside you!!! Will jump on from time to time, but I can't everyday unfortunately...

You're so inspiring to us all!!! Keep up the GREAT work!!!

HUGS,

Nee'

[Veganforlife]

I so agree Annie! Kudos to you girl! I look forward to what you have prepared!

Way to go!

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Annie, I love how you describe what's what with what! :) I love it! We're with ya!!

[katchmoleen]

I love it too, Annie! Keep up the fantastic work! I read every update.

[anniez]

I'd love to hear how the Blueberry Bread turns out! That sounds really good! I think I'm going to make Joyce's Pumpkin Bread (i found it on her Blog the other night!).


It's still in the dehyd, but the batter was really, really good! It's been in the dehyd about 12 hours now and still not ready to turn, so it has some time to go.


I love how you explain what your dislikes and likes of a dish are... this is really, really helpful to me!

Good, I'm glad. I'm hoping others will chime in about the recipes they've made, too. Any time I see a suggestion from someone about a recipe I write it in my book.


Other than the corn, have you tried any other soups that you really love? I have only fell in love with Miso Soup. I've tried a few other soups and didn't really like them - I think I like the less creamy soups. Any good ones??

I've made the Creamy Pea Soup and like it. Easy Cucumber Soup is yummy, but I haven't made it as part of this thread yet. I like it a lot. The Squash Soup is quite sweet. Next time I make it I will leave the dates out until the end and then add some date paste a little bit at a time. The Mushroom Soup is exquisite, as is the Red Pepper Soup.

I love raw soups. They are so easy and so tasty.

Thanks for checking in!

Annie

[anniez]

Hi Annie,

I just wanted to let you know that I still pop in here every few days to see what you have been up to and to see what you have made and what you thought of it. You are really going through a lot of work preparing everything and then coming on here to tell us all about it and I really appreciate the honest evaluations of every recipe that you make. Just wanted to let you know that it is appreciated. Keep up the good work! :)

Thanks so much for your kind words, Iam loved. I appreciate it.

Annie

[anniez]

I've been so busy lately...I haven't had a whole lot of time to prepare new things. I've just been keeping things simple...like, today I just had Fruit (2 Banana, 5 Clementines, 1 Apple) and for lunch a Simple Salad.

[/B] I'm still on my horse, riding beside you!!! Will jump on from time to time, but I can't everyday unfortunately...

You're so inspiring to us all!!! Keep up the GREAT work!!!

HUGS,

Nee'

Thanks, Nee! Remember that YOU were the inspiration for all this, so I'm glad you're along for the ride!

Annie

[anniez]

I so agree Annie! Kudos to you girl! I look forward to what you have prepared!

Way to go!

Thanks for the kind words. I'm having a lot of fun and finding it easier and easier to stay raw. Good food is the key for me, whether it's a banana or simple veggie salad with a great dressing or a more complicated recipe.

Annie

[anniez]

I love it too, Annie! Keep up the fantastic work! I read every update.

Thanks. Tell us what you're making!

Annie

[anniez]

Blueberry Bread – This is on page 332. My half recipe made a loaf 2 inches high, 4 inches long, and 3 inches across. The dough is fairly stiff so it didn’t need teflex. Alissa says to put it on mesh. It was really good before dehydrating. It’s still dehydrating, so I will report on it tomorrow.

Hummus – This is on page 308. I was afraid the garbanzos weren’t ready yet, so I will make this today.

I had way more sprouted wheat than I needed for the Blueberry Bread, so I also made:

Recipe 72 – Carrot Raisin Bread I am making this at VFL’s suggestion. Thanks! The recipe calls for “1/2 dates”, but I’m pretty sure it means ½ cup dates. Another thing I love about raw food is how we can taste it at any time. I tasted the dough before it went into the dehyd and it’s mighty good! It’s also very pretty with the shredded carrot. I shredded the carrot with my box grater, but I think it would be better done in the food processor to get smaller shreds. I made my loaf 2 inches high, and it is about 4 inches across. It is a half-recipe, and again the dough was stiff enough to go on the mesh as Alissa says to do.

Recipe 73 – Banana Bread – I’ve made this before and loved it, but again I could only make a half recipe because that’s all the wheat I had. This was very runny, so I had to put it on teflex, which Alissa says to do. I also added some chopped walnuts for Banana Nut Bread. From now on when I make this I am starting with half the banana and adding it gradually. My bananas were very, very ripe, which is why the dough is so runny. I’m sure it shouldn’t be so runny and I know it’s going to take forever to dry.

Nutmeg and Cinnamon: I only use freshly ground nutmeg, and it makes such a difference. I might start trying to grate my cinnamon fresh, too. Have any of you done this with cinnamon sticks? I’d like to know if it works or not.

For today:

At VFL’s suggestion I was going to make the Green Apple Parsley Drink, but, duh, I’ve already made it. (And loved it, BTW!) So, today will be:

Recipe 72 – Cream Cheese Pg 319 To eat with the breads. Yay! Bread and Cream Cheese!

Recipe 73 – Spinach Dip Pg 305 My body is asking for raw veggies, so I will dip them in this.

Annie

[Veganforlife]

Annie? That spinach dip is easy, pretty, and REALLY good!!!

[anniez]

Annie? That spinach dip is easy, pretty, and REALLY good!!!

I agree on all fronts!

Annie

[anniez]

My numbering was off yesterday. The Cream Cheese was Recipe 74 and the Spinach Dip was Recipe 75. OK, back on track.

My breads are still in the dehyd. Will try to report later. They look wonderful!

I realized that when I am finished with this project every one of the recipes in Alissa’s book will have been reviewed on this board. That may have happened already. I’m not going to take the time to research it out! But at any rate, if someone wants to find out about doing a particular recipe doing a search, they will at the least find it in this thread.

Spinach Dip: Well, I really messed this one up, but it was redeemable. I tightly packed the spinach, which was a BIG mistake. I had to add more of everything! It’s good, but make sure you add enough Herbamare because that’s the only seasoning. It has a strong spinach flavor, but I like it. I kept some for today to see how it keeps. I think it will because of the lemon juice, but I want to be sure.

Hummus – This is the garbanzo hummus and I’m not sure I like it. But I’m pretty sure it doesn’t like me! I didn’t eat a lot of it, but my stomach just felt heavy. I ate it with carrot sticks, celery sticks, and pepper chunks. I just think I don’t like garbanzos. I’m not crazy about regular hummus – the only time I ever liked it was when I ate it in Greece, and I don’t know what they did to it but I really liked it there. I don’t think I will make this again. I kept some just so I could report how it keeps overnight. I’ll try it later today.

Cream Cheese – This is just macadamias and water and while it’s OK, it’s kind of bland. Of course, I just tasted it because I’m waiting for my breads to come out of the dehyd. Maybe it’ll come alive on a slice of bread. If any of you have made this and made some additions I’d like to hear what you’ve done!

For Today:

Recipe 76 – Lime Pepper Crackers Pg 348

Recipe 77 – Crepes Pg 379 The base of these is the Banana Leather which
I have already made and loved. They sound really good! Alissa has them in the entrée section, but they sure sound like a dessert.

Recipe 78 – Raspberry Vinaigrette Pg 478

Today will be fun.

Annie

[katchmoleen]

Anniez, I figured if macadamia nuts made a nice sour cream, it would also make a nice cream for pie on TG. So I bought a few ($11/pound :eek:). So what is the texture like? Is it nice and creamy? Would be good with honey and vanilla for a pie?

[RawHealthyBeauty]

I just made the cream cheese and to me it tasted like plain whipped cream. The texture is pretty close to it except a little thicker.
So right now, I'm tweaking it a little bit by juicing a whole grapefruit and mixed that in. And letting it ferment for now. So I'll have to see how it turns out. Once I'm done with it, I'll be posting later. ;)
So Annie, I know what you mean about the cream cheese. It's missing something and I'm trying to figure out what that is.
I think I may used it in the future for whipped cream with added raw sweeteners. :)

[anniez]

Anniez, I figured if macadamia nuts made a nice sour cream, it would also make a nice cream for pie on TG. So I bought a few ($11/pound :eek:). So what is the texture like? Is it nice and creamy? Would be good with honey and vanilla for a pie?

It is a very creamy texture, and with the honey and vanilla it would be good on a pie. It definitely needs the addition of something!

Annie

[anniez]

I just made the cream cheese and to me it tasted like plain whipped cream. The texture is pretty close to it except a little thicker.
So right now, I'm tweaking it a little bit by juicing a whole grapefruit and mixed that in. And letting it ferment for now. So I'll have to see how it turns out. Once I'm done with it, I'll be posting later. ;)
So Annie, I know what you mean about the cream cheese. It's missing something and I'm trying to figure out what that is.
I think I may used it in the future for whipped cream with added raw sweeteners. :)

Be sure and let me know how this works. I added some cinnamon to part of it, and some honey to part of it when I ate it on bread, and I liked it better that way. Sorry to say it didn't taste the way I remember whipped cream tasting!

Annie

[anniez]

Absolutely divine: the three breads I made. I had them with some of the Cream Cheese, but after eating a bite with plain cream cheese I doctored it up with some honey in part of it and some cinnamon in part of it, and I liked that a lot better. I really love the addition of walnuts to the Banana Bread. But here is something interesting: after I ate just one slice of each bread for lunch, I had cravings for cookies (of all things!) all afternoon. I wonder if it was the wheat!

Breads in the dehyd – After some reflection on this I have decided that I am going to dehydrate “slices” rather than a “loaf.” I can better tell when it’s dry, and it will be a lot quicker than a loaf.

Raspberry Vinaigrette – I thought this was just too tart for me, so I added a little honey. Alissa says somewhere in the book that every time you make a recipe it will be different because of the differences in the raw ingredients. My raspberries were a little tart, which is why I needed the honey. This makes a little over a cup, and I made the entire recipe. It’s a beautiful pink color, and was delicious on a green salad with some raw veggies.

Crepes – Well, folks, let’s face it: I am just a slow learner. After my experience with soft bananas and the Banana Bread, you would think I would have learned. But, oh, no, not Annie! The leather batter for the crepes was quite runny, and did its own thing on the teflex sheet. I wanted to shape it into an 8”X8” square to make for easier slicing, but it didn’t want to cooperate. So, I let it do it’s own thing and cut it into the strips. Can you say “sublime?” That’s what these are! I did the Strawberry Sauce before the Filling, and didn’t wash the processor. The filling had a very slight pink cast, which was fine. Alissa says these are good the next day, so I kept a couple for today. I think these would make great party food, albeit they are a bit messy! I would make the strips 2” wide (which would mean cutting squares rather than strips). The filling is thick and holds the roll together well. I would put a toothpick in each one which would make a bite-sized serving. Alissa says to put on a white plate and surround with whole strawberries. Would make a gorgeous presentation. And I certainly wouldn’t tell anyone it was “raw.” This goes on the BBQ Potluck list for next summer. BBQ’s are somewhat messy anyway.

Lime Pepper Crackers – Wow! These are good. They aren’t completely dry, but the flavor is wonderful and they are very pretty with all the different colors. I made a half recipe and got two trays of crackers. I wish I had scored them, because I will just have to break them apart, and scoring would have probably looked better. They will be great with almost anything (maybe even hummus)!

For today:

Recipe 79 – Easy Slaw Pg 458


Recipe 80 – Sweet and Sour Cole Slaw Pg 468

Recipe 81 – Broccoli Soup Pg 355

Recipe 82 Cucumber Wheels Pg 300 I want to see if I like the Hummus eaten like this.

Have a great day!

Annie

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Hi Annie, I have to try the sour cream recipe again and start over. I don't think it's fermented long enough, since the climate it's so dry here. So I'm thinking maybe that has something to with it. When I make this recipe again, I'm gonna leave it out to ferment longer to see if that is the case.

I think with added vanilla, it might've tasted like the actual whipped cream. :)

[Lara]

O.M.G. I love it. Primarily I love the blueberry filling. the crust plus the filling is too many nuts for me. Annie, I think you mentioned this earlier in one thread or the other and I agree.
Next time, I'll just make the blueberry filling as "blueberry cheesecake pudding". It was delicious!
Last night, I made Alissa's eggplant roulade. Really good. My husband actually thought it was puff pastry! I'm not kidding. It was quite labor intensive for me, with peeling the eggplants. Actually I bought all four eggplants as per the recipe but only used one 'cause I was tired of peeling! So I still have 3 more eggplants sitting in my fridge that need to be used up. Any suggestions? I don't have a dehydrator yet, but I do have a vitamix and a food processor and willingness. Or maybe I'll just make one eggplant roulade per evening for the next 3 days! LOL! I don't know how my 8 year old daughter would feel about that! But she and DH loved it!
Thanks. Enjoy your raw day!

[anniez]

Hi Annie, I have to try the sour cream recipe again and start over. I don't think it's fermented long enough, since the climate it's so dry here. So I'm thinking maybe that has something to with it. When I make this recipe again, I'm gonna leave it out to ferment longer to see if that is the case.

I think with added vanilla, it might've tasted like the actual whipped cream. :)

Be sure and let us know if fermenting longer helps. And I added vanilla. Didn't really think it tasted like whipped cream, but it did help.

Annie

[anniez]

O.M.G. I love it. Primarily I love the blueberry filling. the crust plus the filling is too many nuts for me. Annie, I think you mentioned this earlier in one thread or the other and I agree.
Next time, I'll just make the blueberry filling as "blueberry cheesecake pudding". It was delicious!
Last night, I made Alissa's eggplant roulade. Really good. My husband actually thought it was puff pastry! I'm not kidding. It was quite labor intensive for me, with peeling the eggplants. Actually I bought all four eggplants as per the recipe but only used one 'cause I was tired of peeling! So I still have 3 more eggplants sitting in my fridge that need to be used up. Any suggestions? I don't have a dehydrator yet, but I do have a vitamix and a food processor and willingness. Or maybe I'll just make one eggplant roulade per evening for the next 3 days! LOL! I don't know how my 8 year old daughter would feel about that! But she and DH loved it!
Thanks. Enjoy your raw day!

Some of Alissa's recipes are pretty labor intensive, I agree. They are balanced out by the quick and easy ones.

I'm putting the roulade on my list! Thanks for the suggestion.

Why don't you try Alissa's Crunchy Thai Salad? I haven't made it yet, but it looks good and doesn't call for dehydrating.

Annie

[anniez]

Thanks to whoa-raw and Lara for getting some dialogue going. That's what I was hoping would happen. Please keep it up. It gets lonesome when I'm the only one here. LOL!!

Hummus Update - I forgot to tell you that I liked the Hummus much, much better on the 2nd day. All the flavors had a chance to meld. I still have some, so the jury is still out as to whether I will make it again. I ate some yesterday on the Lime Pepper Crackers and it was good. Those crackers are just awesome!

Crepes – Well, these were just as good yesterday as they were a couple of hours after being made. And I froze one, too, to see how it is after being frozen. This is something I’d like to have in the freezer to pull out occasionally. There is something about the banana softening and the yummy filling and the strawberries that is really good. Actually, these are as good as any crepe I’ve ever had, and I’ve had some mighty fine ones in Paris! This is another one of those things that I just kept reminding myself, “And this is good for me!”

Easy Slaw – This was good. I like the addition of the caraway – really bumps up the flavors. I think it needs more moistening, so next time I think I will double the ACV and honey. I kept some of this for today. I think it should keep well. I like recipes that I can eat the next day.

Sweet and Sour Slaw - The allspice adds an interesting flavor to this slaw. It was also good. It needs to marinate for an hour before adding the raisins and eating it. I also kept some of this for tomorrow. The simple fact is: I like cabbage! Good thing, since I keep getting so much of it in my CSA share.

Broccoli Soup – I got too much cumin in this and it was really spicy. Cumin isn’t one of my favorite flavors anyway, so next time I make this I will use either ginger or caraway, both of which go well with broccoli. It’s a really pretty color – a light minty green. It looks very appetizing and would have been really good without all the cumin! It is very creamy and kind of thick. This is a keeper. I really like raw soups. This one has a longer ingredient list than a lot of them, but it went together pretty quick in spite of it! I ate all of it, so I don’t know if it would keep, or freeze.

Cucumber Wheels – I liked the Hummus this way, maybe the best. I used an English cuke and left the peel on and the juicyness of the cuke really enhanced the Hummus. If I make the Hummus again, and I probably will, I will make a much smaller quantity. I need to get used to garbanzos!

Yesterday was a real “green” day for me, and I really felt good. I didn’t eat very much hummus or all of the crepes because the hummus didn’t agree with me first time around and the crepes have nuts, so I didn’t give my body a chance to get “off.” The soup also had nuts, but not many.

OK, for today:

I am kicking into high gear with my SAD family’s Thanksgiving, so only two recipes.

Recipe 83 – Broccomole P 315

Recipe 84 – Strawberry Pie P 522
Have a fabulous day. I’m planning on it!

Annie

[Lara]

So I had some leftover "filling #1" from the eggplant roulade recipe and lots of leftover "filling #2" which are both quite delicious, especially when combined together! So last night and this morning I got creative....
Last night we had Nori Rolls stuffed with a Tablespoon full or so of the filling #1 (avocado base) and then on top a full Tbsp at least of the #2 filling. Then I added chopped cucumbers and lots of fresh basil and this a romaine leaf. Dipped into bragg's... we all loved it!
So this morning, I cut "cucumber coins" and put a dollop of the filling #1 and then #2 on it and a little sea salt. SCRUMPTIOUS!
Our daughter had some blueberry cheesecake for breakfast- she was so happy to have "dessert" for breakfast! LOL!
I'll check in later...
today I'm making the zucchini hummus again and doubling the recipe. Last time it didn't last a full day around here. And then a big huge salad for dinner.
Have a rawlicious day!

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Hey Annie, I'm going to try the Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms tomorrow. :)

[Green_Woman]

I need to mess around with the modified Creme Cheeze recipes because I'm making pies this weekend for the Holidays and will need cremes!!!! I also need to find a source for Irish Moss around here. :D

[anniez]

So I had some leftover "filling #1" from the eggplant roulade recipe and lots of leftover "filling #2" which are both quite delicious, especially when combined together! So last night and this morning I got creative....
Last night we had Nori Rolls stuffed with a Tablespoon full or so of the filling #1 (avocado base) and then on top a full Tbsp at least of the #2 filling. Then I added chopped cucumbers and lots of fresh basil and this a romaine leaf. Dipped into bragg's... we all loved it!
So this morning, I cut "cucumber coins" and put a dollop of the filling #1 and then #2 on it and a little sea salt. SCRUMPTIOUS!
Our daughter had some blueberry cheesecake for breakfast- she was so happy to have "dessert" for breakfast! LOL!
I'll check in later...
today I'm making the zucchini hummus again and doubling the recipe. Last time it didn't last a full day around here. And then a big huge salad for dinner.
Have a rawlicious day!

Hey, Lara, thanks for the ideas. As I've said, I'm not creative, so I appreciate all the ideas.

Annie

[anniez]

Hey Annie, I'm going to try the Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms tomorrow. :)

Let us know how you like them!

Annie

[anniez]

I need to mess around with the modified Creme Cheeze recipes because I'm making pies this weekend for the Holidays and will need cremes!!!! I also need to find a source for Irish Moss around here. :D

I think if you use this on pies you will want to add some vanilla or cinnamon or something........... For pies you will want something sweeter - maybe a little honey would be the answer. Let us know what you come up with!

Annie

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Let us know how you like them!

Annie

It is so grubs!! I really love em!! I was really surprised by this one! :)

[Lara]

Hi there. I just made a yummy dip with the extra eggplants I had sitting around...And I was clear that it had to be EASY and not labor intensive.
I cut up the eggplant into med chunks and marinated with olive oil, lemon juice and bragg's ( all of this to taste and added sparingly). I did NOT COVER the eggplants completely with this mixture. Just poured a bit in of each and tossed until every piece was touched.
I let it sit for about 10 minutes...then put in my vitamix and pureed into a baba-ghanoush type dip.
I dipped romaine lettuce leaves and flax crackers into it and it was quite good!

Lovin' raw.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Lara

[anniez]

Hi there. I just made a yummy dip with the extra eggplants I had sitting around...And I was clear that it had to be EASY and not labor intensive.
I cut up the eggplant into med chunks and marinated with olive oil, lemon juice and bragg's ( all of this to taste and added sparingly). I did NOT COVER the eggplants completely with this mixture. Just poured a bit in of each and tossed until every piece was touched.
I let it sit for about 10 minutes...then put in my vitamix and pureed into a baba-ghanoush type dip.
I dipped romaine lettuce leaves and flax crackers into it and it was quite good!

Lovin' raw.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Lara

Lara, this sounds really good. Thanks for sharing! I'm making note of your idea.

Annie

[anniez]

I am thankful for RAW!

Coleslaw – Both slaws kept well in the fridge. I finished them off yesterday.

Mock Turkey Loaf – I don’t really know what I expected, but it wasn’t this! It’s really good but it has a green tint. My pumpkin seeds were green, so that is what did it. I didn’t put the cranberry sauce on it yet, because it’s for my dinner today, but the red and green will be quite pretty. I’m not sure I’m going to like cranberry sauce on it, so I’ll try it with just a little. I might like it better with Alissa’s Mushroom Gravy which I’m making to go with her Mashed Potatoes. I also added some salt because I thought it needed it. I thought about adding more celery, but the consistency was good and I was afraid more celery might mess it up. I will make this again.

For today:

Recipe 86 : Guacamole Pg 307 I’m hoping the SAD family will eat this. I’m not telling them it’s one of “my” recipes. Just let them think it’s what they make!

Recipe 87: Onion dip Pg 305
The above two recipes are for me to eat with our crudités tray. I have a dip for the family and then two for me! I’ll munch on them as I finish up the feast!
R
ecipe 88: Avocado Cups Pg 294 This sounds like it will be really pretty, and, again, since the family likes avo, I’m hoping some of them might eat this. We’ll see!

My problem will be that when they see me eating something they will know it’s raw, and maybe won’t try it. Oh, well, I can always hope!

Gotta head off to the kitchen.

Have a wonderful day being thankful with family and friends!

Annie

[anniez]

Well, once again Alissa proved she knows more about raw food than I do! I really liked the Mock Turkey Loaf with the Cranberry Sauce! Yummy! I had frozen some Cranberry Sauce, and it was great! I am now going to freeze some Mock Turkey Loaf (after I have some more today) and see how it freezes.

Avo Cups – I set these out with the appetizers with a spoon so the family could scoop some onto their plates. It was a big hit! Very pretty and very good!

Guacomole – What’s not to love about guac? Family ate with corn chips and crudités – I just ate with crudités.

Onion Dip – This is really good. After several hours in the fridge the onion really mellowed out. I am going to freeze some for when I make Alissa’s Chili –which may be this weekend, since we have snow in the forecast – AGAIN!

Since I had a sliver of Strawberry Pie for dessert, I really think this meal was too nut-heavy for me. There were nuts in the Mock Turkey Loaf, Onion Dip, Mashed Potatoes, and Strawberry Pie. Then I had a couple of slices of bread, which contain wheat. All in all, I didn’t really feel as well as I normally do! (In fact, I had to take a nap which is very unusual for me.)

So, here is what I have decided: For me a raw holiday is going to be different than the SAD holidays were! I don’t need all those different dishes to be satisfied. I’m going to really lighten up for the next few days and concentrate on fruits and veg and not so much on nuts and seeds. So, that will be reflected in the recipes I will prepare.

As I was looking at all the cabbage in my refrig, I remembered that I used to make Freezer Slaw. I am going to make Alissa’s Easy Slaw without the raisins and the caraway and freeze it. When I thaw it out, I will doctor it up with raisins and caraway, or raisins and dried apricots (which I loved in the Sweet and Sour Slaw) to give it some interest. I know it is important to not eat the same thing every day, and I try to adhere to that, so I don’t want to eat cabbage daily for the next month!

Today will be an easy day because I have so many crudités left from yesterday. I don’t want to eat any more Onion Dip, so I will make a veg based dip. Also, I am eating only fruit and juices until mid-afternoon. Then I will have a little bit of Turkey Loaf and lots of veggies and maybe a salad. Then I will not eat anything more until tomorrow. I want that euphoria back!
With all that in mind, here is today:

Recipe 89 – Pepper Dip

Recipe 90 - Lemonade

I will spend a quiet day at home, enjoying myself after all the hectic activity of the last few days. Black Friday isn’t anywhere on my radar! If it is on yours, enjoy! If not, enjoy! Either way, enjoy your day staying raw with Alissa’s wonderful food!

Annie

[lovenlife]

Pictures speak a thousand words. I wish you had pictures of all this.
One of the joys of eating raw food, people even say it as a joke, is you take pictures of all your food!

Wish I had a cam to send you!!!!

[ReneeH]

Don't worry...I'm gonna help you with that, Annie!!! ;) I'm still putting my photos up, so here's mine of Alissa's Noasted Turkey (Before dehydrated):

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/30DaysRAW-022.jpg


Here it is With Alissa's Marinara Sauce...YUMMY!!!

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/RAWFoodSept52009002.jpg

:Renee tiptoes out... "O.k. you guys, gotta finish uploading the rest of the photos!!!":

....This is SOOOO Much FUN!!!!! :p

[Radiantly Raw]

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have to say how very thankful I am for this thread! I found it 3 days ago and I've read (and even re-read) the entire thing!

When I was raw from Aug 2007 thru April 2008, I was posting here at RFT all the time! I've been missing since then, and now that I've regained my sanity & decided to join the raw lifestyle again, I'm shocked at how much I've forgotten! I couldn't even remember what the heck I used to feed us all day!

Alissa's book is my only raw book, so this thread helped me remember so many things I used to enjoy! And also reminded me of recipes I wanted to try!

Thank you so much Annie for doing this, and for sharing it with the community! Your reviews are awesome! And I think you're just brilliant for freezing recipes to see how the fare, and seeing how long they stay yummy in the fridge. All your details are SO helpful!!!!

I have a couple questions about the freezing! How exactly are you storing the food in the freezer? You seem experienced at this & I would love to hear the best way to keep them fresh! Even my frozen bananas turn brown after a week, so I might be doing something wrong. I would love to have just a few things already prepared & waiting in the freezer. Life with 3 kids can get hectic & I'd rather occasionally eat frozen & defrosted raw than SAD!

I had the same issues you had with the avo's and was thrilled to read that you froze them! How long did it take for one to defrost?

[Lara]

This is what I made for my 8 year old daughter for lunch today.
I hope this time the picture posts!

Okay...I think the file was too big...anyway, it was beautiful! And scrumptious.
I used swiss chard and spinach and added a bit o'lemon juice to the recipe. Yummers!

[anniez]

Pictures speak a thousand words. I wish you had pictures of all this.
One of the joys of eating raw food, people even say it as a joke, is you take pictures of all your food!

Wish I had a cam to send you!!!!

I know what you mean about the pictures, and I am sorry. Frankly, I just don't want to take the time to figure all of it out. There's just too much else I want to be doing each day. Learning the picture thing isn't even on my radar.

I'm really sorry! That's why I'm trying to be so descriptive.

Annie

[anniez]

Don't worry...I'm gonna help you with that, Annie!!! ;) I'm still putting my photos up, so here's mine of Alissa's Noasted Turkey (Before dehydrated):

:Renee tiptoes out... "O.k. you guys, gotta finish uploading the rest of the photos!!!":

....This is SOOOO Much FUN!!!!! :p

Thanks so much for the help Renee. The Noasted Turkey is on my list for Christmas. Is it as good as it looks?

Your photos are always so awesome!

Good to have you back!

Annie

[anniez]

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have to say how very thankful I am for this thread! I found it 3 days ago and I've read (and even re-read) the entire thing!

Thank you so much Annie for doing this, and for sharing it with the community! Your reviews are awesome! And I think you're just brilliant for freezing recipes to see how the fare, and seeing how long they stay yummy in the fridge. All your details are SO helpful!!!!

I have a couple questions about the freezing! How exactly are you storing the food in the freezer? You seem experienced at this & I would love to hear the best way to keep them fresh! Even my frozen bananas turn brown after a week, so I might be doing something wrong. I would love to have just a few things already prepared & waiting in the freezer. Life with 3 kids can get hectic & I'd rather occasionally eat frozen & defrosted raw than SAD!

I had the same issues you had with the avo's and was thrilled to read that you froze them! How long did it take for one to defrost?

Thank you, Radiantly Raw, for your kind words. I'm so glad to know you are being helped.

About freezing: I have some plastic containers that I got at Costco that have air-tight lids, and I use those. Because the food is cold, I don't get too concerned about the plastic. Then I also have some pyrex glass dishes that have lids that fit very tight, and I also use those. For greens, I just put them in plastic bags. The avo I just stick in the freezer.

The avo takes a few hours - don't really know how long because I just take one out in the morning and it's ready when I am.

I find having frozen foods very convenient.

Annie

[anniez]

This is what I made for my 8 year old daughter for lunch today.
I hope this time the picture posts!

Okay...I think the file was too big...anyway, it was beautiful! And scrumptious.
I used swiss chard and spinach and added a bit o'lemon juice to the recipe. Yummers!

Lara, I, too, love Alissa's Marinated Greens! I'm using the recipe with all kinds of greens.

Annie

[anniez]

I have to make note of one of the things I most appreciate about Alissa’s book: Her recipes run the gamut! Some recipes are as easy as peeling a banana, slicing up an avocado, peeling a clove of garlic and blending it up to make a wonderful dip (Avo Banana Dip.) If you leave out the garlic, it makes a delectable pudding. The pudding is one of my continual go-to’s. Quick, easy, delicious, and oh so satisfying! Or it can be as complicated as the Lasagna, which I’m waiting to do when I have lots of time and am in the mood to putter in the kitchen. Yes, I do have days like that! I have always loved to cook, except now I love uncooking! I get enormous pleasure from chopping veggies, for example. And I have to admit that when I committed to preparing only Alissa’s recipes until I’ve fixed every one in the book, I forgot that the Holidays would fall right smack dab in the middle of my project. But, lucky for me, Alissa has all kinds of recipes – even cookies.

I was so happy to find the Christmas Cookie thread yesterday. I won’t be using any of those recipes, but I will use some of the ideas for shaping, etc. Alissa has 7 cookie recipes – that will be plenty for a good raw cookie tray for me for snacking! They all have at least a few nuts, but they are all dehydrated, which means they will keep well in the fridge, and can also be frozen! I think I will make them quite small, and also use some mini cookie cutters to make shapes. I’m sure not all of the doughs will be conducive to that, but from reading over them, it seems like some of them will. When I’m invited to Holiday Parties, I’ll just take my own plate of cookies. Who says a raw vegan diet is about deprivation? Not I!!

If you don’t have this wonderful book, I must ask – again – why not? It is just such a practical primer, and I am continually referring to it. Yesterday was my day to coddle and take care of me, after the craziness of the week. (How can you DO that, some of you are asking! Well, as I have said, I am 66 and it’s just hubby and me at home. I know where many of you are, because I was there, too, with busy children and a busy husband. But I am no longer there, and since going raw I have come to realize that it is simply OK – and even the best thing to do – to put myself first sometimes.)
Anyway, I got out Alissa’s book and re-read the 31 Frequently Asked Questions section. The very first question discusses getting enough protein and calcium. (I know this happens to all of you, as it does to me: when people hear I eat raw vegan food, their first question is, “Where do you get your protein?” Alissa’s discussion of this is wonderful. No way would I quote the entire section, for it is quite comprehensive, but I just want to quote this: “Certainly most people do not know that one teaspoon of sea kelp mixed in a glass of water gives approximately a thousand times more calcium (without animal protein) than an 8 ounce glass of milk. (And think of all the yucky things that are in milk!) Alissa spends 5 ½ pages answering this question.

I don’t mean to digress, but I know there are some of you out there who are struggling, and I just want you to know this is so much more than a “raw recipe” book. OK – down from the soapbox!

Well, really, what’s not to like about apple Lemonade? It was really good, and I think I will be making this a LOT! With the lemon in it, I wonder if it would keep overnight. I’d love to double the quantity and have some for the next day, but I don’t want to jeopardize the enzymes, so I don’t know. Any ideas?

Pepper Dip – This was really good. It was kind of a muddy color, but the colored peppers redeemed it. The next time I make it I will pulse it and leave it chunkier to make a filling for greens. It would be really good in a rolled up green leaf for a sandwich.

Today:

Recipe 91 – Better Than Beef Pg 416

Have an awesome, rawsome day!

Annie

[beckx]

for those working on cream cheese recipes... the sour of a cultured food is slightly different than the sour of grapefruit. i haven't tried to make cream cheese, but when i make yogurt i've found that adding probiotic powder and letting it sit covered with a cheesecloth in a warmish place overnight/24 hours really helps get it to taste right. dairy yogurt and cream cheese are cultured foods... we can still culture raw foods. :)

[Lara]

And Easy Apple Pie! O.M.G.!
I made them both tonight for our family dinner. The curried yam bisque was heavenly. Next time I will triple the recipe, except for the amount of curry she recommends: The recipe calls for 1 tsp. which was a bit much. I'd recommend 1/2 tsp. and then to taste from there. Also, tho' the recipe does not call for salt, I added a bit to my bowl, individually and so did my daughter and husband to taste. It brought out the rich creamy flavors. I will make this again. 1 yam fed our family tonite for the soup! If you have a vitamix, it's great because it makes the soup slightly warm...mmmm, warm curry soup on a cold fall night! Nothing's better.
And the easy apple pie was yummy. I wasn't excited about the crust though. But nuts and seeds are hard on me, soaked or not. So I'm going to just make the filling next time and eat it alone. We're calling it "Apple pie Smash". Our whole family loved tonite's creations. Also, when I get a dehydrator, I'll try putting the "smash" into it for a little while and warm it up a bit. By then, I'll know how to make raw vanilla ice cream and will put a big dollop on top!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am thankful yet again to Alissa for her recipes. They are making this dramatic change in my eating and in my life much much easier and smoother.

[anniez]

for those working on cream cheese recipes... the sour of a cultured food is slightly different than the sour of grapefruit. i haven't tried to make cream cheese, but when i make yogurt i've found that adding probiotic powder and letting it sit covered with a cheesecloth in a warmish place overnight/24 hours really helps get it to taste right. dairy yogurt and cream cheese are cultured foods... we can still culture raw foods. :)

Thanks for making this point! I hadn't really thought about it. I will try adding some probiotic and then letting it sit longer.

Annie

[anniez]

I am thankful yet again to Alissa for her recipes. They are making this dramatic change in my eating and in my life much much easier and smoother.

And I, too, am thankful! And thanks for all the other notes you added. I want to try the Apple Pie soon.

Annie

[anniez]

Well, yesterday just got out of hand and by the time I got ready to make Better Than Beef I didn’t want to drag out the juicer to get some carrot pulp, so Better Than Beef will be for today.

Yesterday I did:

Recipe 92 – Zippy Tomato Soup

It was really good (I cut back a little on the onion) and really quick. I didn’t have any fresh basil, so I used dried. I know fresh would be better, and I usually have it on hand, because I love it, but yesterday I was out. I don’t know if this will keep or not since I ate all of it!

Hope I can control today better……we’ll see.

Annie

[Lara]

makes a fine dressing for a salad.
Here's what I did today:
for lunch, I wanted a salad. (I've been doing the Smoozie Weekend with Revvell and friends...check out that thread).
-romaine
-cucumbers chopped up small
- 1 avocado roughly chopped into the salad and smooshed around a bit
- 1 heaping Tbsp of the zucchini hummus (which is runnier than other hummus')
I made a humungous salad- used about 2.5 heads of romaine.
Then I tossed it all together, added some freshly squeezed lemon and salt, and voila! YUMMMMMMMM!
As I was munchin' away, happy as can be, my amazing 8 year old daughter came up and asked for a bite... and before I knew it, was asking for more and more. Finally I got up and prepared her her own HUGE bowl of the same creation. She ate it all up, humming and saying "yum" between bites.
It was fun!
Tonite- it's another green smoozie for me for dinner.

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie!!!

Here's my photo of Alissa's Zippy Tomato Soup!!!

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/31-60DAYSRAW.jpg

I've actually never made Alissa's Better than Beef!!! It's one of the Recipes I really wanted to do, so I'll make that this week and post a photo for you!

You're doing GREAT!!!! :)

((((HUGS))))
Nee'

[lovenlife]

I know what you mean about the pictures, and I am sorry. Frankly, I just don't want to take the time to figure all of it out. There's just too much else I want to be doing each day. Learning the picture thing isn't even on my radar.

I'm really sorry! That's why I'm trying to be so descriptive.

Annie

thats ok. It is just so easy to do! Dont be sorry:(

[ReneeH]

Thanks so much for the help Renee. Is it as good as it looks?

You're SO Welcome!!!

ABSOLUTELY!!!! Are you KIDDING ME!!!! :D It taste's JUST like the SAD version!!! Mine was FABULOUS!!!! I still have some in my freezer...you're making me wanna get it out and enjoy another piece!!! :p


Good to have you back!

Thanks! So good to be BACK!!!!!!! Thanks for holding down the Fort!!! :)

[anniez]

As I was munchin' away, happy as can be, my amazing 8 year old daughter came up and asked for a bite... and before I knew it, was asking for more and more. Finally I got up and prepared her her own HUGE bowl of the same creation. She ate it all up, humming and saying "yum" between bites.
It was fun!

Good for you! I love hearing about people getting their kids going. When they get really tasty food eating this way, I truly think they'll lose interest in SAD. Raw just has such great flavors.

Thanks for the idea about the hummus. I'm gonna try that!

Annie

[anniez]

Hey Annie!!!

Here's my photo of Alissa's Zippy Tomato Soup!!!


I've actually never made Alissa's Better than Beef!!! It's one of the Recipes I really wanted to do, so I'll make that this week and post a photo for you!

You're doing GREAT!!!! :)

((((HUGS))))
Nee'

Nee, big THANKS!

You're the best!

Annie

[anniez]

Day 40
While I love Holidays, I always like to get back in the routine. I’m a little slow this morning getting back into the routine, but it’ll happen today! (I hope!) For our family it was a great weekend. We have so much for which to be thankful and it was fun having the whole family together! I hope you all had as much fun as we did!

Better Than Beef – WOW! I really like this. All of the spices give it a really outstanding flavor. I’m not sure why it’s called this, but it’s good. It’s a very appetizing orange color. Next time I will pulse the onion in the processor with the sun-dried tomatoes, because for me the onion needs to be very fine to eat it raw. It does tone down in the time you let the mixture sit. I am going to freeze whatever is left after today and see how it freezes.

For today:

Recipe 93 Banana Ice Cream P 516 I finally got a blank screen for my juicer, so I figured as long as I have it sitting on the counter, I’ll give this a try. It’s only bananas, so I’m sure I’ll like it, but, since I eat bananas in my green smoothies, I’m not sure this is something I’ll want to fiddle with. But, we’ll see! I think I’ll make some strawberry sauce to eat on top of it. Sounds yummy!

Recipe 94 Pesto Pasta Pg 417

Gotta run. This house could use some of my attention today!

Make it a good one……..

Annie

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie!!!

Well, I made Alissa's Better Than Beef today and.....IT'S FABULOUS!!! I made it into a Loaf and put it in the Dehydrator for an hour at 110. SOOOO GOOOD!!! Actually, if I close my eyes, it DOES taste like Beef to me!!! But, the Orange Color throws me off when I look at it. Here's my photo:

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/Nov2009PHOTOS029.jpg

When I ate it for Dinner, I just put it on a bed of Lettuce...keeping things SIMPLE...

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/Nov2009PHOTOS030.jpg

I wanted to shape it like a Steak, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember what one looked like!!! LOL!!! :D THAT'S a GOOD thang!!!!

Oh, here is a photo of Alissa's Banana Icecream: SOOO GOOD!!!

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/BananaMangoIcecreamwStrawberriesNut.jpg

I can't WAIT to see what WE'RE making tomorrow!!! This SURE is FUN!!!!

[Lara]

OMG, woman, your photos are makin' me HUNGRY! Seriously mouthwatering stuff! I cannot wait to get a dehydrator!

[anniez]

Got up on Tuesday (Day 41), booted up the computer, and NOTHING! Took it in – a day and a half later they tell us the processor is gone. Off to buy a new one! Took the new one in to have the data transferred. Day later get it back! But it’s a new computer and I can't figure it out!

Nee, you're the best! Thanks for the gorgeous photos!

Banana Ice Cream – I keep saying it: It’s so wonderful to know that something that tastes like this is actually good for me! It is absolutely delectable. I ate it in the morning since I eat only fruit in the morning. I made some Strawberry Sauce to eat over it……..yum! You will need to eat this as soon as you make it. It is very soft and gets runny quickly. I think that I will only make as much of this as I want at one time. I did freeze some, to see what it would do, but I think it will be best freshly made. I also froze some Strawberry Sauce, so now I have another “Strawberry Sundae” in the freezer. I always have frozen peeled bananas in my freezer to use in Green Smoothies, and I can see using some of them to make this as well. I made it in my juicer with the blank screen. A tip, though: when making it in your juicer make another juice right afterward to take advantage of the residual banana pulp. I didn’t do that, and even though I washed the juicer parts right away the banana was pretty sticky and it was hard to clean. Next time I think I will make Alissa’s Lemonade (which is made with apple and lemon) right afterward. That way, I can still stick with fruit in the morning and have ice cream for breakfast! (Always wanted Ice Cream for breakfast when I was a kid after a long hot night. That was before the days of air conditioning in homes. Yes, I am that old!) Wow! Ice Cream for breakfast followed by an apple Lemonade chaser. How could it get any better?????? I hope someone will make this in their blender as Alissa suggests, and report back what that is like. So with my Strawberry Sauce for the Banana Ice Cream……..

Recipe 95 Strawberry Sauce P 375

Pesto Pasta I loved this. I really like squash pasta, and it was a hit with the Pesto Sauce. This is a different pesto, and I really like it. I like the tomato in it. I left the tomato pretty chunky. This Pesto is Pesto Light, so:

Recipe 96 – Pesto Light Pg 311

OK – lots of catching up to do.

Annie

[anniez]

Recipe 97 Carrot Soup Pg 357 I am behind in reporting, so I will tell you the I loved this soup! I used parsley, not cilantro, and I love the note that the ginger adds to it. Very quick and easy!

Recipe 98 Apricot Jam Pg 374 Yum, on the Blueberry Bread and the Banana Bread. Try this! You won’t be sorry.

More catching up……………..

Annie

[anniez]

I tried to make a freezer slaw today, so I made

Recipe 99 Alissa’s Dressing Pg 475

I made the dressing, put it on some thinly sliced cabbage, and froze it. Will report back.

More catching up……….

Annie

[anniez]

So now I am caught up to today.

Yesterday I also made:

Recipe 100 Alissa's Green Drink Pg 535 I only had collards and kale and the juice was a little bitter for my taste, so I added 2 more apples. Then it was good!

Recipe 101 Spinach Mushroom Quiche Pg 433 I have made this before and loved it! It is really good and the fragrance coming from the dehyd is awesome! I froze most of it. I have frozen it before and it freezes well.

On Tuesday I started sprouting some wheat berries and lentils, and they are ready for today. So:

Recipe 102 Fig Squares Pg 508

Recipe 103 Chicken Un-Patties Pg 413

Sorry that these last few days are so rushed, but you have no idea how much trouble I am having with this new computer! Technology’s great when it works, but when it doesn’t it just drives me crazy.

Keeping on keeping on……………

Annie

[anniez]

Chick Un-Patties This “batter” was really good right after it was made. The lentil sprouts gave it such a fresh flavor. The wide variety of veggies gave pretty flecks throughout it. I think that the next time I make this I will use some of it as a sandwich filling without dehydrating it. You do need some of Alissa’s Mayo for this recipe. It has a long list of ingredients, but it goes fairly quickly because the food processor does most of the chopping. I have a set of “dishers” and I used the medium size to scoop onto the teflex. Than I just patted them down. I like using dishers for dehydrated food because then I know the patties are all the same size. These are really good after dehydrating. I just took a bite because I eat only fruit in the morning. They are a beautiful color – very appetizing!

Fig Squares It took overnight for the crust to dry, so I just now made the fig filling and put the cookies back in the dehyd. Will report on them tomorrow, but they look to be a winner!


Today is a very busy day, so only one recipe:

Recipe 104 Almost Tuna Pg 383

I had some sprouted lentils and sprouted wheat left yesterday, so I stuck them in the fridge, and they taste OK. Am hoping to have time to get to a wheat recipe, but I’m not sure.

Have a great day!

Annie

[lovenlife]

Cant wait to hear how you like the tuna. I couldnt believe how it tasted just like tuna. I put mine in a collard wrap. I also added a touch of honey and that made all the difference (the celery and onion are key!)

[anniez]

Cant wait to hear how you like the tuna. I couldnt believe how it tasted just like tuna. I put mine in a collard wrap. I also added a touch of honey and that made all the difference (the celery and onion are key!)

I wish I'd read this before I made it, because I bet the honey would have helped. And I did use plenty of onion and celery! Thanks for the tip!

Annie

[anniez]

Well, another day that’s getting away from me. It is just that time of year!
Chick Un-Patties Update: Just really, really good. Will be good traveling food!

Fig Squares These are really good, but I would call them something else. You start with a square but when you fold it over, it becomes a rectangle. I think these would be great made as small one-bite sandwich cookies. Just cut small squares and put the filling on top, then top with another square and dehydrate.
I also think they might be cute folded into a triangle.

Almost Tuna Well, I’m not as crazy about this as I am about some of the other things I’ve made. I think it’s because of all the alfalfa sprouts, which I don’t like real well. I eat them, because I know they’re good for me, but I don’t like them very much! I also don’t like it at all left-over!

Update on Banana Ice-Cream – This did not freeze well. It had an off-taste. So, I will be making this fresh when I want it.

Noasted Turkey and Cranberry Sauce – Both of these froze well. Next time I freeze these, I will freeze them in individual servings. When I froze them the first time I froze the noasted turkey in a loaf and the cranberry sauce in a glass jar. Individual servings will be much more convenient, since I can eat just one serving at a time.

For Today:

Recipe 105 Lentil Cups Pg 463

I’m glad I had some leftovers since I haven’t had time to spend in the kitchen. I’m heading off there now for the Lentil Cups.

Until tomorrow…………

Annie

[truthfairy]

Noasted Turkey and Cranberry Sauce – Both of these froze well. Next time I freeze these, I will freeze them in individual servings. When I froze them the first time I froze the noasted turkey in a loaf and the cranberry sauce in a glass jar. Individual servings will be much more convenient, since I can eat just one serving at a time.


Have you tried freezing sauces and pates in ziplock bags? They freeze quickly and because the result is a thin slab it is really easy to break off just the amount you need to use. Last summer when basil was rampant in the garden I froze several batches of pesto that way.

[anniez]

Have you tried freezing sauces and pates in ziplock bags? They freeze quickly and because the result is a thin slab it is really easy to break off just the amount you need to use. Last summer when basil was rampant in the garden I froze several batches of pesto that way.

What a GREAT idea, truthfairy. Thanks! Would also take lots less freezer space!

Annie

[anniez]

I neglected to say that my lentils were red lentils which gave my Chick Un-Patties a pretty color and the same with the Lentil Cups.

Lentil Cups – This was really good, and very colorful. I kind of hated to put it in the romaine leaf because it was so pretty. It would be pretty hard to go wrong with this combination of veggies. It was very juicy – just downright yummy! I ate it with Mrs. Ackerley’s Dressing. Next time I make this I am going to try it just served on top of chopped romaine.

I have quite a few different squashes that came in my CSA box. Some of them I have never even seen before, so it goes without saying that I don’t know what they are! So today I am getting out my spiral slicer and experimenting with them. I know that spaghetti squash is inedible raw, but I don't know about the others that I have. If I like the taste, I will find something to do with them.

With that said, today’s recipe is:

Recipe 106 Butternut Squash with Golden Curry Sauce Pg 410 I do know butternut squash and I have one of these. This has kind of a daunting list of ingredients, but we are in a real deep-freeze here, so it’s a good day to stay in. It calls for Madras curry powder, and I couldn’t find it so I will just use regular curry, It also calls for baby sweet corn (do you remember Tom Hanks in the movie “Big” eating the baby corn!) and I have never seen that raw so I bought some in a can and will use that.

I may do some other un-cooking, too, depending on what these squash do, but I’ll let you know that later.

Annie

[anniez]

Well, yesterday just got totally out of hand, so here is yesterday’s update.

Butternut Squash with Golden Curry Sauce This is so delectable, I can’t even find the words. The sauce is absolutely out of this world. It is both spicy and sweet. Alissa has such a deft touch with seasonings! I used parsley rather than the cilantro because I don’t like the bite of cilantro. The recipe calls for several of the veggies to be diced, but then half of them are put into the blender. Next time I will only dice half of them and put the rest of them into the blender in chunks. Also, I think I will use sweet corn on the cob and cut it off. I hope it will give the same taste as the baby sweet corn. Baby sweet corn is not something I will use frequently since it is not raw.

I experimented with several of the winter squashes from my CSA box. I really only liked them spiralized.

Recipe 107 Creamy Oriental Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce and Dressing Pg 473

This is really yummy. I made it to eat on the squash. It would be good on any number of veggies. I really like almond butter and ginger and tahini, so I figured I would like this. I think it will keep well, too.

Well, that was yesterday………..

Annie

[anniez]

I am getting ready to travel in a couple of days so I am making some travel food.

I am making some more banana leather and …………

Recipe 108 Sweet Potato Chips Pg 342

Recipe 109 Baby Raw’s Sea Salt and Vinegar Chips Pg 343

Both of these sound good and like good travel food.

Back tomorrow.

Annie

[anniez]

Gosh, it doesn’t even look like I was missed! Oh, well, C'est la vie!

Once again, life took over my best-laid plans. I had hoped to be able to check in before I traveled to my other home, but it didn’t work out.l Then, I got here to an Internet that was down and a flat tire on the car. So, guess what I did………..I water fasted.

I was looking forward to getting to some warm weather and low humidity, but, as with most of the rest of the country, there is a cold snap here, too. I now have Internet, but still have the car to deal with, so I will probably have to scale back the cooking – er, uncooking!

Baby Raw’s Sea Salt and Vinegar Chips I’m not a fan of Apple Cider Vinegar so I’m not surprised I wasn’t crazy about these. I tasted one before dehydrating and was kind of thought I might like them. But after dehydrating the ACV flavor was very strong. Also, I used Celtic Sea Salt and it was definitely wrong. The “chunky” salt didn’t dehydrate like the potato did and, as much as I like salt, it was just too much.

For today I will be catching up with the Sweet Potato Chips and hope to get back to business tomorrow.

Annie

[truthfairy]

Gosh, it doesn’t even look like I was missed!
...
For today I will be catching up with the Sweet Potato Chips and hope to get back to business tomorrow.

Annie

Gosh, we sure did miss you, Annie! But you need to have some fun too; we don't expect you to be on the game every day. The sweet potato chips are actually quite good. I am munching on a batch today. Be sure to make them really thin. Oh, by the way, it's safe to come back to Colorado now; it's warmed up again.

[ReneeH]

Hello my Dear Friend!!!

I've been insanely busy the past week, but I do check in on you from time to tiime, when I can... Glad you're still doing well!!! I remember when I did my 30 day threads, sometimes the posts were few. But, pls don't get discouraged!!! So many people pop on and enjoy your posts!!! I know I do!!! Gonna jump back on your cabboose soon as I can!!!

Hugs!!!!
Nee

[anniez]

The sweet potato chips are actually quite good. I am munching on a batch today. Be sure to make them really thin. Oh, by the way, it's safe to come back to Colorado now; it's warmed up again.

Wish I'd read this before I made them!

As for Colorado - nah! Not for awhile anyway. I like it in AZ right now!!!

Annie

[anniez]

Hello my Dear Friend!!!

I've been insanely busy the past week

Hey,'Nee, are you still walking on air????

After this "little" project I am more determined than ever to take Alissa's classes. Her book is so awesome that I can't begin to imagine being in her presence for 4 days.

Annie

[anniez]

Sweet Potato Chips Pg 342 These are actually called Almond Butter Sweet Potato Chips and they are really good, and I will make them again. But I have a definite learning curve here. First, my slices were too thick. I used a slicer, but will use something different next time. When I tried to fold them over, they broke. That was the first problem. The second problem was that I definitely used too much filling! As they were dehydrating the filling oozed out. I had enough presence of mind to realize that I needed to put them on teflex, so at least I didn’t have a mess! Even though they broke in half they were very pretty half-moon shapes. And they took a lot longer to dehydrate than 10 hours. But I have to say this: the filling is awesome! Almond butter and honey is just super great! Try it on bread or crackers or whatever. Awesome stuff!

Recipe 110 Simply Sweet Potato Chips Pg 339-340 This is the plain variation. At first I wasn’t sure I liked these, but the more I ate the more they grew on me. There is just something about the sweet simplicity of these. They took a lot longer than 5 hours to dehydrate. Unfortunately, since I ate them all I can’t tell you if they will be crispy after storing.
As I was updating the book I have at this home I realized that I have pretty much stayed away from the Desserts. Because I eat so much fruit my sweet tooth is pretty much under control and desserts don’t interest me so much! So, since I don’t want to end up with only desserts to make, I will start to rectify that situation today.

Today’s recipes:

Recipe 111 Raw Ravioli Pg 397

Recipe 112 Celebration of Life drink. Pg 541 I was able to get some organic grapes, so want to try this. It sounds wonderful!

Recipe 113 Easy Apple Pie Pg 486

I’m getting a very late start today, so I’m heading off to the kitchen.

Annie

[anniez]

I’ve been in crisis mode with a neighbor, so haven’t been able to check in. I will be offline for a few days, but I’ll be back.

Celebration of Life Drink This was very, very sweet, almost too much so for me. I like veggie juices, but I prefer to eat fruit out of hand.

That’s the only recipe I got made before my neighbor called, so the Easy Apple Pie and Ravioli are on hold – until when I don’t know.

I’ll be back, just don’t know when!

Annie

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie!!!!

How did u like the Raviolli??? Here is a photo of Leah's at Grezzo...sooo good!!!!

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/Mobile%20Uploads/AlissasCLASS12-4-09397.jpg

hugs,
nee

[ReneeH]

Hey Annie!!!

I made Alissa's BAGELS Yesterday!!! They are SOOOOOOOOO INCREDIBLY GREAT!!!! TRY THESE!!!! I don't know why the photo came out a little blurry....

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/Photos/12-2009photos055.jpg

Trust me--They are WONDERFUL!!! Try 'um when you get back on the thread!!! :)

[truthfairy]

I made Alissa's BAGELS Yesterday!!! They are SOOOOOOOOO INCREDIBLY GREAT!!!! TRY THESE!!!!

Looks interesting. Did you use the rye berries or wheat?

[ReneeH]

Rye Berries...it's Alissa's recipe. You can also make bread with it.

Last night I made Alissa's Burger Bun recipe. I shaped them into breadsticks, burger buns, and pizza bread do that I could try it with different things & see what I like better...

BREAD STICKS:

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/Photos/BurgerBuns001-1.jpg

BURGER BUNS:

http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u336/Pioneerspiritnee/Photos/BurgerBuns002-1.jpg

Let me tell you....Girlfriend, these smell SOOO GOOD!!!!! :D Gotta stay OUT of the big "D" or I'll eat um all!!!! :p

[ReneeH]

"CALLING ANNIE....CALLING ANNIE.....!!!!" Your thread misses you!!! Please come back!!!! :)

[anniez]

"CALLING ANNIE....CALLING ANNIE.....!!!!" Your thread misses you!!! Please come back!!!! :)

I'm back! Just put hubby on a plane for CO but I am staying in AZ.

I haven’t been able to be online – as soon as I got my neighbor squared away hubby arrived for 2 weeks. I won’t be seeing him for awhile, so I wanted to spend my time with him and not online. But, I did continue preparing recipes.

I'll work tonight on updating you on what I did and post it tomorrow.

And, Nee, thanks a bunch for the gorgeous pictures.

I LOVED the ravioli! And a bunch of other stuff.

I'll report tomorrow.

Annie

[anniez]

Easy Apple Pie – I really liked this. I liked the fact that the crust has sunflower seeds rather than nuts. It made for a lighter crust, and really delish. It truly is easy, both crust and filling. I shared it with my non-raw neighbor and she loved it, too. And it kept well overnight.

Raw Ravioli – First off I have to say that I think this is my favorite cheese ever. (I used cashews rather than macadamias.) It tastes, to me, like cheese! Or at least what I remember cheese tasted like. I think the addition of the parsley is really clever. I have said it before, but I want to say it again – Alissa has such a deft touch for seasoning! I also used a meyer lemon because that is what I had, and it probably made it a little sweeter. My cheese was kind of oily. I left the oil in the bottom of the processor when I removed the cheese, but some more separated out as I was making the ravioli. I sliced the turnip on my Kyocera Adjustable Ceramic Slicer (which I love!) on the 1.3 setting. I started with it on the .5 setting, but couldn’t get rounds, it was just too thin. That slicer setting made perfect rounds and it was thin enough because it folded beautifully. I have to confess, this is my first time for raw turnip and I am surprised how sweet it was. Since I’m not experienced with turnip I didn’t know whether to peel it or not, so I did, in part because it wasn’t organic. I kept a couple of the ravioli for the next day, just to see how it would keep, and it kept fine, although the plate was a little watery. If the ravioli were served on the second day it would probably need to be served on a different plate.

Recipe 114 Noasted Turkey Page 394 Well, I must say that as hubby was eating his roast turkey, I wasn’t at all tempted because this was scrumptious! I did as Alissa suggests and ate it with Marinara. I love the Marinara anyway and it was really good with this. Again, the seasonings are genius! My only problem was that I had too much onion. I’m not a raw onion lover, and need to learn to cut back on onion at first.
About onion: I used red onion in the noasted turkey. Because I have never been a raw onion eater I don’t really know about onions. I know there are red, white, yellow, and sweet (Maui and Vidalia for example). What I don’t know is which ones are generally stronger and which are generally milder. Can anyone clue me in here?

Recipe 115 Fettuccini Alfredo Page 381 Wow! This is absolutely delicious! The preparation is very straight-forward – quick and easy. As Alissa says, the sauce is quite thick so you need the juice from the squash to thin it out. I’ve read other threads here that say to let the squash noodles drain before using them, but you don’t want to do that here. Also, be sure and spiralize the squash before making the sauce so it can start to give up some juice. The only problem I saw is that it looks pretty boring – pretty much all the same color. Next time (and there will be lots of next times!) I will spiralize a red pepper for the color. I love red pepper so it will be a great flavor addition as well as adding color.

I’ll catch up more later or tomorrow, but in the meantime housecleaning awaits. Much rather be in the kitchen but did nothing the two weeks hubby was here (except have fun with him and cook for him and un-cook for me) so must now pay the piper! Have a great day!

Annie

Oh, and Happy New Year. It will be if we stay raw!

[anniez]

Recipe 116 Spinach Dip Pg 305

Recipe 117 Indian Spinach Dip Pg 306

I have been making a lot of dips and salsas because I have been eating lots of raw veggies. The Indian Spinach Dip starts with the regular Spinach Dip, so I made both at the same time. Though they start the same, they turn out very differently. I love the flavorings in the Indian Spinach Dip. The two don’t seem very much alike. Both dips were very thick and were great for raw veggies. I also rolled some in romaine leaves, and that was quite good.

Recipe 118 Salsa Pg 312 This was really good. I made it and took it to a party and it was a big hit. Of course, most salsas are raw anyway, so it was an easy “out.” Remember to let it sit for a few hours because it is definitely better.

Recipe 119 Avocado Salsa Pg 314 This was also quite good. I love tomato and avocado together, so I’m not surprised I liked this. I also ate this with raw veggies and especially loved it with sliced cucumber.

Recipe 120 Sunny Pate Pg 384 This is also quite good. I didn’t eat it all the first day and since Alissa says it will keep 10 – 14 days in the fridge I didn’t eat it until he 4th day. The top had darkened and was very unappetizing. I skimmed off the dark and it was the right color underneath. I ate it and it tasted fine. I don’t know what I did wrong – if I even did anything wrong. It was good, though, and very versatile.

Recipe 121 No More Cellulite Pg 542 I feel like this one was cheating, since it is only grapefruit juice. But, it is a recipe in the book, and I am making them all, so I did this one. I really prefer to eat fruit whole rather than juice it, but it was good!

Recipe 122 Eggplant Parm Pg 402 I have made this before I started this project, but I messed it up so was glad for the opportunity to try it again. Be sure to peel the eggplant. I didn’t do that the first time, and the peel got bitter. Also, I didn’t read carefully enough and cut the eggplant into long strips rather than round slices. I used my mandoline slicer to slice the eggplant. It’s really, really good!

And that’s it! I’m caught up. I’ll be back tomorrow with what I plan to make then. Now, I'm going to do some catching up on the board.

Annie

[anniez]

I am ready to try a “complicated” recipe so for today:

Recipe 123 Calzone Pg 390 Renee encouraged me to try this so here goes! I made Burger Buns earlier and froze them, so I am good to go. This sounds so good! Doesn’t sound hard, just lots of steps.

I started sprouting some buckwheat 2 days ago and if it’s ready today I’m going to make either the Pineapple Cake or the Apple cookies. I’ll let you know tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Annie

[anniez]

As you read further, I just want to say that the fragrance from my dehyd yesterday was unbelievable! I could smell both the Pineapple Cake and the Apple Cookies and it was just to live for!!! I could “snack” on the cookies, but the Pineapple Cake was not possible. I think when I make the Pineapple Cake again I will make it in little individual bite sizes so I can nosh as it dehydrates. (This is a real problem I have when dehydrating – I tend to snack right out of the dehyd. Well, shoot, why not? In spite of being raw for more than a year and a half, I still like warm food. And once I take that first bite from the dehyd I am done for!)

Pineapple Cake This recipe has a problem with the directions. The ingredients mention buckwheat, walnuts, and apricots, but the directions don’t say what to do with them. So, I made a “crust” from them and used that as the base of the cake. Then I put on half of the blended pineapple, the pineapple chunks, and the remainder of the blended pineapple. My pineapple was quite ripe, and the blended pineapple oozed a lot of juice out. But, wow, it is really good!

Calzone Wahoo!!! Renee, you are right! This is really good. I don’t think I drained my veggies well enough, though. Next time I make this I will blot the veggies dry with a paper towel. When I made the burger buns awhile ago I made some of it into crusts for the Calzone, so it went together pretty quickly. But, because I had made the crusts ahead, I had trouble sealing it like the recipe said. All said, though, it was really good!

Apple Cookies I had some buckwheat left so I dehydrated some to make Buckwheat Cereal in the future and then made these cookies. They went together very quickly. I made half a recipe and used my 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop. It made 8 cookies, so this is not a big recipe like most of Alissa’s are. If you have others in your family, you might want to consider making the full recipe. They are very good. I didn't make shapes, I just patted the scoops out into rounds.

For today:

Recipe 126 Nut Brittle Pg 510

Recipe 127 Spinach Salad Pg 462

Recipe 128 Goddess in the Raw Dressing Pg 471

Have a great day!

Annie

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Hi Annie! :)

Yeah, I haven't tried the calzone!! I'm glad to see that you have tried it and end up liking it alot! I'll have to add those ingredients to my list for my next shopping trip!

Have a Great New Year! Looking forward to it! :cool:

[anniez]

whoa-raw By all means make the calzone. It is really yummy!

Spinach Salad This combination of ingredients is truly inspired! It was really good. I love basil and it was a real plus in this salad. The radishes are a colorful addition, and the mushrooms gave it some substance. I will be making this again.

Goddess in the Raw Dressing Well, this was almost too garlicky for me. Alissa says you’ll love this if you like garlic, and, while I like garlic, I thought this was too much. Next time I’ll use only half of the garlic. Otherwise, it’s a winner! I like that it only has a small amount of olive oil.

Nut Brittle This was very quick and easy to put together. I didn’t get to it until late yesterday afternoon, so it is still in the dehyd, but as I’ve been noshing I can report that it’s quite good! The combination of nuts and seed is very different and not something I would have thought of. I think I may always have some of this on hand. I like that I is not heavy on the nuts, and the sesame seeds are a perfect addition. I love sesame, so I thought I’d like this. The honey really brings out the flavor of the nuts and seeds. It doesn’t seem to be setting up, though, but maybe it just needs more time.

I continue to be amazed by Alissa’s creativity. For me, it’s very important to eat interesting, well-flavored food. There are times when I just want to eat very simply, but there are those times when I just want to fuss in the kitchen and turn out something quite tasty. Alissa’s recipes deliver!
There is SUCH a learning curve for me with preparing raw food.

I am remaining true to my commitment to only fix Alissa’s recipes, but it is hard right now. Talk about cravings: I am so much wanting some Eggless Salad and some Eggplant Bacon. (Isn’t it funny: my cravings are for raw food…….I rest my case!

For today, since the Calzone was such a big hit I am making

Recipe 129 Lasagna Pg 420 Lots of different recipes here, so I will be busy!

Have a great day.

Annie

[appifanie]

Hi Annie! I like this thread a lot - you're doing an amazing job - thanks! Everytime you say how long a recipe lasts I write it in the book - I wish it listed approximate serving #s and sizes and how long stuff lasts, to this is helpful!

And I too wish that recipes were on the same page - I'd looked through the book a few times when I ran into Alissa and Stacie (I lived near her house in ME until very recently and we went to the same health food store (where i bought some of her cheese - YUM!!)) and Stacie recommended her samosa recipe which I'd never noticed because the title of the recipe is at the bottom of one page and the whole recipe is on the next page.

Anyway, here's what I've made from the book so far:

Pesto stuffed mushrooms - I liked them at the time, but I think that I don't like raw mushrooms - which is odd cause I love them un-raw, but whatever. My problem is that despite liking them, when I think back on them now, I don't want them at all - they sound gross to me. Weird.

Guacamole - It's good, but I rarely meet a guac I don't like!

Hummus - I had this at a class by an Alissa certified instructor and I liked it.

Mayo - Good, but it was runny and a bit too sweet - I think almond milk should be made special for this - not the sweetened almond milk I'd made. And perhaps less of it to combat the runniness.

Sour Cream - I added cilantro, lime, and water to this and made it into an AWESOME salad dressing - here it is on a salad I made -

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/ltlghiagrl/Blog/DSC07891.jpg

Corn tortillas - I made these but don't remember what happened - I'm really bad at spreading things to their right thickness, so I'm sure I messed them up in someway and I'll retry some day.

Almond butter sweet potato chips - Yummy! Not too crispy, but sweet and yummy.

Baby Raw's Sea Salt & Vinegar Chips - Didn't like. Maybe I didn't dehydrate them enough, or maybe I just don't do raw white potatoes.

Marinara sauce - also made by the instructor at the class I went to - good.

Crepes - Banana shells in the fridge - might try today or tomorrow!

Mock Salmon Pate - Yum!! Bad pic of it next to world's most boring salad :D

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/ltlghiagrl/Blog/DSC08325.jpg

Enchilada - messed up the tortilla, again. Not sure what I did about that.

Calzone - messed up the dough! Changed it into a not very good sandwich.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/ltlghiagrl/Blog/DSC07903.jpg

Ravioli - had at the raw class - yum! Sometimes turnips are too much for me but that was okay.

Waldorf Salad - yummy!

Alissa's Dressing - too much ACV for me

Date Nut Torte - yummy, of course!

Walnut fudge - I'm vegan, but I used the honey cause I had some (I was hoping it'd help with allergies, but it didn't) - but I don't really like honey - these are really good, but I'm sticking to raw agave from now on

[anniez]

Great pics - thank you so much!


Everytime you say how long a recipe lasts I write it in the book - I wish it listed approximate serving #s and sizes and how long stuff lasts, to this is helpful!

I'll try and remember to do that more.

Stacie recommended her samosa recipe which I'd never noticed because the title of the recipe is at the bottom of one page and the whole recipe is on the next page.

I've stayed away from this because of the tamarind. I have no clue about it.

Anyway, here's what I've made from the book so far:

Thank you SO much for taking the time to do this!

Pesto stuffed mushrooms - I liked them at the time

I think these aren't quite the same as raw because of the dehyd time. I really liked them but they didn't look so great, so I don't think I would every serve them to guests!

Guacamole - It's good, but I rarely meet a guac I don't like!

Amen!


Mayo - Good, but it was runny and a bit too sweet - I think almond milk should be made special for this - not the sweetened almond milk I'd made. And perhaps less of it to combat the runniness.

I used unsweetened almond milk ( I never sweeten almond milk until I know what I'm going to do with it), and didn't think it was too sweet. I don't remember my mayo being runny.

Sour Cream - I added cilantro, lime, and water to this and made it into an AWESOME salad dressing -

Great idea.

Corn tortillas - I made these but don't remember what happened - I'm really bad at spreading things to their right thickness, so I'm sure I messed them up in someway and I'll retry some day.

I still have a lot of trouble with this! What works best for me is to wet my fingers and use them.

Almond butter sweet potato chips - Yummy! Not too crispy, but sweet and yummy.

OK - this moves to the top of the list!

Baby Raw's Sea Salt & Vinegar Chips - Didn't like. Maybe I didn't dehydrate them enough, or maybe I just don't do raw white potatoes.

I'm with you on this!


Ravioli - had at the raw class - yum! Sometimes turnips are too much for me but that was okay.

I think the secret here is that they are sliced so thinly!

Again, thanks for the great pics!



Annie

[anniez]

Nut Brittle This did come together the longer it dried. I really like this a lot. True to my dehydrator profile, I kept noshing on it all afternoon. I was glad when it was done so I could package it up and not be tempted! I think that if this is crumbled up it would be a great topping for a lot of desserts – ice cream comes to mind!

I had some zucchini left, so:

Recipe 130 Zucchini Chips Pg 342

Lasagna This is still in the dehydrator, so I can’t tell you anything about the taste. I did realize that some of these recipes used in the Lasagna I hadn’t made before, so I will report on them now.

Recipe 131 Summer Tomato Sauce. This is very different from the Marinara. It is full of basil, and I love basil and tomato. It is very much runnier than the Marinara, and I am glad I made it because it was good to put on the top. If you make the Lasagna, I really recommend using the two different sauces because they have very different flavors.

Recipe 132 Ricotta Cheese P 323 As in all cheeses, this is quite thick. Quite good!

Recipe 133 Mozzarella Cheese Pg 322 Also thick and good.

The cheeses were very hard to spread. I dropped dollops on the lasagna and then with wet fingers kind of pressed them down.

Zucchini Chips I’m not a fan of these. They really shrank and are really too small to dip into anything. Also, they are not seasoned at all, so they don’t have much flavor. If I’m going to dehydrate zucchini, from now on I will marinate it in something first. Alissa does have a marinated zucchini recipe, so I will try that. My favorite use for dehydrated veggie chips is to take when traveling. Otherwise, I’d rather eat the veggies raw.

For today:

Recipe 134 Eggplant Pizza Pg 409

Recipe 135 Lemon Ginger Cayenne Shot I must admit this one really scares me! I will report on it tomorrow.

Annie

[appifanie]

Annie - thanks!

Tamarind I found in a package - shaped like a block - at an Asian food store, but there was some at my old health food store too that looked less sketchy. I'm kinda scared of it :D

That's smart not to sweeten your milk until you use it! I think I'll do that from now on.

Also, my mom is 67 and in poor health and her diet sucks and she won't listen to me about any of this at all - even though she's allergic to milk!! Go make her listen :)

Oh, and I don't dig zucc chips either.

I've been frittering back and forth between raw and unraw, and now my stomach feels wonky so aside from crepes and the eggless salad, I don't know what's next. I'll check in and post more when I make more.

Again, keep up the great work Annie! Even if you are a cilantro hater :D Oh - and I don't love coriander seeds, but I'm okay with powdered coriander and I love cilantro - go figure!

[appifanie]

Oh! I bought an eggplant yesterday to try the pizzas with as well - that I blame on Renee :D

[anniez]

[QUOTE=appifanie;583632]

Also, my mom is 67 and in poor health and her diet sucks and she won't listen to me about any of this at all - even though she's allergic to milk!! Go make her listen :) QUOTE]

Well, I'm 66 and was in poor health. Just keep at it yourself and maybe she'll come around when she sees how your health improves. I have to say, though, that in spite of all that's happened to me, none of my family are interested in adopting this lifestyle. So, I cook for hubby and un-cook for me. I just keep on keeping on.........

Annie

[anniez]

Lasagna Update There are no words to describe how delicious this truly is. I LOVE it! I couldn’t eat it all, so I have some left for tomorrow. It’s very filling with two different cheeses. I’m pretty sure it will keep fine, but I’ll put it back in the dehyd to warm it up. It was so wonderful to have something warm. The next time I make this I will double up on the zucchini, so it won’t be so heavy. The zucchini dehydrated very thin and I would like more zucchini in it.

Eggplant Pizza Pg 409 This was really easy and very straightforward. I tasted the topping before I put it into the dehyd and it was really good! The touch of sweetness added by the date is genius! I am eager to try this tomorrow. If I like this, and I can’t imagine why I won’t, the next time I make it I may put some cheddar cheese on the eggplant before putting on the topping.

Lemon Ginger Cayenne Shot Pg 536 EWWW! I most certainly did not like this, even remotely! It was very tart (could have used some sweetener!) and the ginger and cayenne just made it too spicy. I will not be making this again.

Nut Brittle I just have to say again how much I like this. As I ate some yesterday I realized that I hadn’t mentioned how crunch it is. The taste of the honey really comes through. Appifanie, are you aware that there are many different types of honey? I’m not an expert on honey, but I know some are milder and some are stronger. Maybe if you try a different honey you’d like it better.

Eggplant Pizza The eggplant isn’t dried enough yet, so I will have it for lunch and report on it tomorrow.

When I went to the recipe for Almond Butter Sweet Potato Chips, I see that I’ve already made them and liked them a lot, so I won’t be making these today.

But I will be making:

Recipe 136 Fennel Salad Pg 452 I must be strange, because Alissa says most people don’t like fennel, but I love it! So I will probably like this.

Recipe 137 Orange Dressing Pg 481 I am making this today to use it tomorrow. I saw a recipe for Pear Pomegranate Salad with Greens and Orange Vinaigrette. So, I am not really veering from my plan since I will use Alissa’s Orange Dressing as the vinaigrette. I will make that salad tomorrow.

I'm out the door to shop - need some more size 8's, no more size 20's for me!

Annie

[appifanie]

Appifanie, are you aware that there are many different types of honey? I’m not an expert on honey, but I know some are milder and some are stronger. Maybe if you try a different honey you’d like it better.

I'm out the door to shop - need some more size 8's, no more size 20's for me!


I know, but I never really liked honey to begin with, and if it's not actually going to help with my allergies, I'll just drop it and go back to being 100% vegan :)

8s instead of 20s! Awesome! I miss my 8s. 14 is much less cool than 8.

My 3 year old daughter helped me make crepes this morning and they're sitting now and I've got eggplant slices in the D now for pizza. They may be lunch tomorrow instead of dinner tonight though, and I may try Renee's idea for freezing them.

[anniez]

My 3 year old daughter helped me make crepes this morning and they're sitting now and I've got eggplant slices in the D now for pizza. They may be lunch tomorrow instead of dinner tonight though, and I may try Renee's idea for freezing them.

How did you like the crepes? So cool that you're getting your daughter involved at such a young age.

Hang in with raw and the size 8 will happen!

And read my comment about the Eggplant Pizza.

Anie

[anniez]

Eggplant Pizza Surprise: I didn’t like this very much. The topping was very good, but the eggplant got bitter. I will probably make this topping again, though, because I really liked it. I ate the topping, but not the eggplant. I wonder if thinner eggplant slices would work better.

Fennel Salad Well, I wasn’t real crazy about this, either! It was just a tad too tart. I have never been a vinaigrette fan, and that’s really what the dressing is. I didn’t eat all of the salad and I think I will add a little honey or agave when I eat the rest of it today. I’m learning, though: I chopped the onion really fine which made it more tolerable. The parsley gives it such a fresh taste.

Orange Dressing I like this a lot! Next time I make it I will use less olive oil, though, as it tasted kind of oily. I would like more orange flavor and less oil flavor. The prep is just straight forward – dump it all in the blender. I used a navel orange since that’s all that is in the market right now, but I think it would be better with a Valencia. I’ll try that when the Valencia’s come into season. I think I will probably have this in the fridge most of the time. Today I’m having it on a salad with pear slices, pomegranate arils, mixed baby greens, and pecans. Sounds good, huh?

For today:

Recipe 138 Pizza (with the Easy Crust) Pg 406

Recipe 139 Crunchy Thai Salad Pg 448
Lots of ingredients in the Thai Salad so I’m off to the supermarket!

Annie

[appifanie]

How did you like the crepes? So cool that you're getting your daughter involved at such a young age.

Hang in with raw and the size 8 will happen!

And read my comment about the Eggplant Pizza.

Anie

thanks! and it turns out macs make my stomach hurt a LOT, and i didn't love them after they sat a few hours - they might have been better th next day, but i threw them out cause of the mac/stomachache.

[anniez]

thanks! and it turns out macs make my stomach hurt a LOT, and i didn't love them after they sat a few hours - they might have been better th next day, but i threw them out cause of the mac/stomachache.

I have problems with too many of any kind of nuts. When I make a nut recipe I don't eat a lot at any one time. But I really loved the crepes.

Annie

[anniez]

Fennel Salad This kept fine in the fridge when I ate it yesterday. I did add a little honey, but I didn’t like it with the honey. When I make it again, I will use a different vinaigrette.

Pizza I have previously made the Cheddar Cheese and Marinara so this was pretty easy. I topped it with avocado after it came out of the dehyd because I wasn’t sure what the avo would do if I dried it. It was really good, no surprise since I love the cheddar cheese and the marinara. The Easy Crust was quite good, too.

Crunchy Thai Salad I have absolutely no experience with Thai food, so don’t really have anything to compare it to. But I don’t like cilantro or jalapeno, so I left out the jalapeno and substituted parsley for the cilantro, so don’t know how authentic it is. I’m not sure I’m going to be a lover of Thai food. This salad had a long list of ingredients, so lots of chopping! I didn’t really like it well enough to want to make it again, although it’s a beautiful salad with all the different colors and shapes of veggies. I did really like the addition of the basil and mint. It would be a good candidate to take to a potluck dinner – which now that I think about it I actually may do next summer because it is very pretty and very different!

For today:

Recipe 140 Banana Crackers Pg 347

Recipe 141 Pizza Bread Pg 352

Recipe 142 Creamy No-Crust Fruit Pie Pg 500

Have a great day!

Annie

[appifanie]

I have problems with too many of any kind of nuts. When I make a nut recipe I don't eat a lot at any one time. But I really loved the crepes.

Annie

yeah i only had a teeny tiny amount - alas! macs and brazils are out of my life.

[Stina]

My book ran away!

I loaned it to a friend who fell in love with it. She was gone from her house and her roommate's girlfriend saw it and took it! ;) Great, I'm glad I'm sharing the Living on Live Food book but it needs to come home to me now!

[anniez]

My book ran away!

I loaned it to a friend who fell in love with it. She was gone from her house and her roommate's girlfriend saw it and took it! ;) Great, I'm glad I'm sharing the Living on Live Food book but it needs to come home to me now!

Oh, no-o-o-! I will never, ever loan ouyt Living on Live Food. I will loan out any other raw food book that I have except this one. The more I use it, the better I like it! (I am in the process of re-reading from the beginning.)

Annie

[anniez]

yeah i only had a teeny tiny amount - alas! macs and brazils are out of my life.

Maybe not such a bad thing because they are so much more expensive than other nuts. Can you tolerate cashews?

Annie

[anniez]

Creamy No-Crust Fruit Pie This is really good. I would eat this for breakfast in a heartbeat whereas I wouldn't eat one with nuts in the crust! I used mango, papaya, and pineapple from a frozen fruit mix I get from Costco and use for my green smoothies. The mango banana “pudding” over the top was really good. And the recipe is well titled; it is indeed creamy!

Banana Crackers I think these will be good. The batter was good. The batter was kind of “gluey”. I have said this before but in case anyone missed it, I think by far the easiest way to spread crackers and breads is with wet fingers. They have been in since late yesterday afternoon, so I can’t report on them yet.

Pizza Bread This dough had an amazing flavor. I can’t wait for it to be done, but I think it still has a ways to go.

For today: A couple of quick and easy’s because it looks to be a busy day!

Recipe 143 Cucumber Dip Pg 316

Recipe 144 Italian Dressing Pg 471

Have a wonderful day!

Annie

[anniez]

I don’t know where to begin.

Banana Crackers – These turned out great. Delish! They seem a little gummy but they have a great flavor. I did as Alissa suggests and ate some with almond butter and honey. Oh, yummm! Great quick, easy, delicious snack. I wonder about spreading two pieces with almond butter and putting honey on one of them then putting them together to make a sandwich. The almond butter on both sides should keep the honey “put”. Good travel food.

Pizza Bread - Alissa is right – I will NEVER miss bread. This savory bread is just out of this world. The flavors just meld so well. It’s also really pretty with all the different veggies. I made the bread too thick, even though I tried to measure the thickness. They broke when I tried to roll them, so I did as Alissa suggests and used it as a crust. I spread some Cucumber Dip on one and topped it with tomato and avocado slices that I sprinkled with a bit of Herbamare. Really, seriously yummy! I am always going to have this bread around in the freezer. It may be one of the most versatile breads or crackers I’ve made yet. It’s hands down my favorite so far even more than the Banana Bread.

I am really motivated to make more breads because I want to get past this learning curve with dehydrating bread. Breads and crackers really make it easier for me to stay raw because of the variety they add to my diet. I have some wheat berries sprouting, and hope they are ready today. If so, I will find another bread to make. But I don’t know if they will be ready because everything seems to take longer for me to sprout.

Wild Rice: I have some of this sprouting also, for the Wild Rice Salad. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this ingredient, it is a black grain. When I started soaking, some of the grains seemed to split, showing white. A lot more of them are doing that, but I don’t yet see any sprouts. When I am sprouting, I keep tasting the sprouts periodically so I don’t let them go so far as to get bitter. I know I keep repeating myself, but I find a steep learning curve with raw foods, and sprouting is maybe the steepest, simply because I’ve never done it.

Cucumber Dip – I don’t know how this one slipped past me for so long. I love dill and thought I had made almost every recipe that calls for it. This is really good. I used a hothouse cucumber so I didn’t peel it, and, also, I only used half since they seem so much bigger than conventional cucumbers. As said above, I used it like a mayo. I also ate it just with raw crudités and loved it. I didn’t eat it all, so will see how well it keeps. I hope it keeps for a few days, because I think it will be pretty versatile. And these are ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Didn’t have time for the Italian Dressing yesterday, so will do that today along with:

Recipe 145 Italian Zucchini Chips I learned from the plain Zucchini Chips that these really shrink, so I will buy fatter zucchini than I normally buy. Also, I will use my ceramic slicer on the thickest setting.

Have a great day, and stay raw!

Annie

[appifanie]

Maybe not such a bad thing because they are so much more expensive than other nuts. Can you tolerate cashews?

Annie

yeah, my wallet isn't too upset :D cashews seem fine, as do walnuts and almonds. i may have a problem w/ fats in general - my dad does -

[appifanie]

doing a great job annie!! :)