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Well, thank goodness for my mom! My mom is a great Indian cook. Since I have been talking about going raw, she has been crafting interesting raw dishes for me to try. The stuff she makes without any recipes is so much better tasting than anything I can make. The thing I really seem to miss are condiments. I always used a lot of condiments when I ate SAD - so it made a meal feel complete when I had a little something on the side. My mom whipped up a raw cilantro chutney for me that is the bomb! It is just cilantro, chili peppers, dates, salt and some tamarind paste. Just process the entire thing to a thick paste. It is so good you can eat it straight. She has also made a cauliflower "pickle" for me in the past that is just divine. Note, that Indian pickle is different than American pickle. What we make is a spicy condiment that marinates for a few days/weeks. I got the recipe from mom for the cauliflower pickle and made some of my own and ended up eating the entire thing yesterday. Basically, this recipe is chopped cauliflower, chopped carrots, raw green chili peppers, a few dates, equal amounts of salt and red chili pepper, a little bit of ground black mustard seed, a little bit of ground fenugreek. You just mix up the veggies in the marinade and can add a bit of water to make it saucy. It is so good and tangy. Ideally, you let it sit for a few days and eat it. I just couldn't stop myself and ate the entire thing. Another thing I really like of hers is a cooked red bell pepper chutney. She told me the raw recipe for this would be equal amounts of red bell pepper and tomatoes, dried red chili peppers, with some salt, some tamarind, and some garlic. Just food process the entire thing until it is smooth. I made that too and ate about two cups of that yesterday. My mom recommended that I dehydrate the red bell pepper and tomatoes first to give the dish a richer taste. However, I was so anxious to try it that I didn't dehydrate it and I liked it all the same. When I was SAD, I could never give up my sweets. Since I have gone raw, they don't really dominate my every moment. (Don't get me wrong - I still love my dried figs and honey - but I can have a little and move on with my day). What I seem to be craving now is spicy and sour stuff. It warms me up and makes me feel like I have eaten something substantial. Not sure if anybody else is having these type of bizarre cravings.

I did dehydrate some tomatoes (since I found them at 99cents a pound). They were so good right out of the dehydrator. A very tasty snack indeed.

Anyway, here is what I ate yesterday. I see that I tend to graze more on the weekends since I have access to all my raw food and my fridge. During the week I can only eat what I pack, so my meals are much more structured.

Morning
1 hummus chip
1/2 flax oil
1 tsp flax oil
2 cups lentil sprouts
About 10 dried tomatoes

Afternoon
1/4 avocado
Green smoothie with cilantro, spinach, kiwi, and arugala
(used up a bunch of leftovers)
1 grapefruit
1 orange
3 figs

1 banana
1/4 avocado
1 tbs hemp seed powder

Evening
3 avocado and spinach nori roll ups
3 Whole Foods raw ravioli with lots of crushed red pepper
1/2 cup mom's cilantro chutney
2 cups bell pepper chutney
3 figs

3 cups cauliflower pickle
1 huge spoonfull honey
Honey tea