Well, back to the grind this week to what should be a quiet week, but isn’t … people out sick and on vacation while servers blow up is not good. Californians got good news this week though, California is banning restaurants from using trans fat starting Jan. 1. Not a huge deal for me as we rarely eat out anymore or consume processed foods that have them, but according to this, we’re a rarity, the average American has 200 carry-out/sit-down meals a year, yikes! But, no trans fat is good news for those that rely more heavily on convenience food.
I’ve been reading I Am Grateful, the Cafe Gratitude book I got for Christmas and enjoyed the Terces Engelhart’s back story, her history with eating disorders and trauma makes what I’ve gone through pale in comparison! Plus some interesting points about listening to your inner voice and understanding food cravings. I’ve already flagged so many recipes in it I want to try such as the nut cheese varieties and spinach tortillas, but it makes me want an Excalibur dehydrator even more. Again, that’s a great goal for 2010. I’m also looking forward to getting to one of the Cafe Gratitude locations which I can hopefully do on an upcoming San Francisco trip.
This week has been challenging to keep raw because the weather is wet, cold, overcast and rainy. And it’s the type of to-the-bone cold that makes me crave hot foods, soups, stews, squash, etc. I caved last night with a cooked veggie dish after a grueling day at work. But it got me thinking about about the book because the author did raw for 30 days as an experiment and loved how if made her and her husband feel so much they stayed raw and focused their restaurants around it and how much I’d like to do a 30 days experiment, but I’m not totally ready yet, I have a bit more research to do and would like a bigger dehydrator. So I’m thinking February/March for that, giving me more warm up/practice time.
Also, on the back of I Am Grateful, Michael Franti is quoted talking about how much he enjoys raw foods and makes a point of going to Cafe Gratitude whenever he has an opportunity. Interesting because I just got and have been enjoying his latest album on my iPod, cool to know he’s a raw food enthusiast also. I wish I could make it to the yoga event January 29th he’ll be at in San Francisco … damn limited vacation time!
Anyway, I am a fan of cheeses and garlic, not having Parmesan cheese on my dishes has been a challenge, but I Am Grateful book has a Brazil nut recipe that was a great excuse to test the dry blade container on my Vita-Mix.
I did my own version with more garlic and salt:
- 1 cup Brazil Nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp. pink salt
Blend ingredients in blender or food processor using the S blade and sprinkle over dishes like a cheese topping.
Not exactly like Parmesan cheese, but close and great with a strong garlic taste. According to the book, this is one of the most requested toppings at Cafe Gratitude and super easy to make and store in the fridge. It’s great with Jennifer Cornbleet’s marinara sauce and spiralized veggies.
[…] The last couple of weeks, my insides have been on a bit of a roller coaster which I blamed on holiday and work related stress and a little crap eating. I decided to start the New Year off by giving my digestive system a break and maybe a slight detox by letting the Vita-Mix do most of the work today. I had my usual breakfast smoothie loaded with spinach, oranges and berries. For lunch, I tried Gena’s Carrot Avocado Bisque and Butternut Sage Noodles with Brazil nut cheese. […]