Celebrating an all-natural lifestyle

Spicy Thai Salad, and My First Raw Giveaway!

Tonight’s dinner was inspired by Tuesday’s lunch. On Tuesday, in unseasonably sweltering heat, I met my lovely friend Alina—a fellow raw foods coach—at Caravan of Dreams, which is a vegan lunch spot tucked away on 6th street.

I like Caravan because it has equally extensive raw and cooked menus; it’s all tasty, and it’s easy for me to bring friends or family who are ready to try vegan foods, but not quite prepared to dive into raw dining.

Alina and I quenched our thirst on young coconuts:

… and agreed that we barely had appetites for anything else in the heat. But I know my workday appetite well enough to know that I needed food! I ordered the Thai avocado salad (“a mixture of avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, nori pieces, and carrots served over fresh onganic seasonal greens tossed in Thai spicy citrus dressing“). Of course, I forgot to take a photo (oops!). But fear not: I liked it so much that I decided to re-interpret it tonight.

The meal began with dressing. I played around and came up with the following, and it was absolutely delicious! Sweet, spicy, and infused with basil and cilantro, this dressing is thick enough to serve as a vegetable dip, and rich enough for a dinner salad. Best of all, it’s full of healthy fats and vitamin E.

Spicy Thai Dressing (yields almost two cups)

Ingredients:

1 Avocado
1 cup water
¼ cup cilantro
¼ cup basil
¼ tsp salt (or more)
2 dates, or 1 packet stevia
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper (I must have used 1/8 tsp) and 3/4 inch ginger for heat

Blend all ingredients on high and adjust seasoning to taste. Here’s what you get:

Then I assembled my salad. I started with a green base of spinach, cilantro, and basil. I piled it high with spirals of carrots, cucumber, red peppers, red cabbage, and pea shoots, and I garnished the whole thing with half of a sliced avocado. Here’s the final creation, pre-dressing:

And with the dressing:

It was absolutely delicious! Alongside some baked sweet potato (which I forgot to photograph), it made for a great meal. This one will definitely be a keeper for summer.

So are you wondering how I got the carrot and cucmber to look so lovely? The answer, my friends, is this:

A new spiralizer!!! The lovely people at Paderno World Cuisine were kind enough to send me two of their wonderful Spirooli spiralizers! I’m delighted. While my Joyce Chen spiralizer (a great value at less than $30) has served me very well, I must admit that it’s not quite as useful as this one will be: the Spirooli makes three different shapes (wide ribbons, thin spirals, and thick spirals) and it’s much easier to use, especially for hard veggies, like carrots and beets (which is great, since beet pasta with cashew alfredo is a personal favorite of mine).

So what do you think I’m doing with the other model? Giving it to one of you, of course!!! I’ve been overwhelmed by your collective enthusiasm for veggie pasta, and I’m thrilled to offer one of you a chance to start making it at home. So here we are: my very first giveaway!!

Here’s the deal. To enter, you have to:

1)    Respond to this post with a comment naming the raw dish you’re most eager to try at home—with or without the Spirooli!

AND

2)    Announce the giveaway on your blog, and send me an email at gena@choosingraw.com with a link to the post in which you do it.

If you don’t have a blog, simply send me an email saying so, and as a special bonus question, tell me what your favorite traditional pasta dish is, and you think you might be able to recreate it with the Spirooli.

I’ll announce the winner on May 11th. I hope many of you will participate, and I’m wishing you luck!

That’s it for now, all – have a great night

This Just In

Another fabulous looking recipe from reader (and fellow blogger) Stacie. This is Stacie’s favorite raw lunch. She says:

“I spiral cut a zucchini and lay it over a bed of spinach.  Then I make a sauce out of tomatoes, yellow bell pepper and Italian type seasoning to put over it.  I top it with a dollop of almond cheese with onion, garlic, and nutritional yeast.  Sitting by the side is a piece of dehydrator bread.”

Here’s a photo of the lovely creation!

Thank you, Stacie, for sharing!

The Raw Truth: Question of the Week

Thank you all for your lovely responses to the low-sugar desserts! I had no idea that they would generate such enthusiastic feedback, but I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ll all experiment with them and report back!

Today’s question of the week comes from one of my favorite vegan bloggers: Ms. Bianca of Vegan Crunk. If you haven’t checked out Bianca’s blog, do: it’s a winning combination of southern comfort food (veganized, of course), sassy writing, and an obvious passion for culinary arts.

Best of all, Bianca has begun a fabulous tradition on her blog: on the first Tuesday of each month, she eats all raw. I’ve admired Bianca’s delectable creations on these “Raw Food Tuesdays” for a while now, so I’m delighted to have her as a reader!

Bianca emailed me last week with a great question. She asked:

I do monthly raw food days on the first Tuesday of each month. It’s partly a cleanse and exercise in self-discipline, but mostly it’s my excuse to experiment with raw recipes. Since I drink coffee every morning on every other day of the month, I have a hard time shaking that habit on raw day. By mid-morning, I’m usually falling asleep at my desk.

So recently, I’ve started drinking hot tea on raw days in place of coffee, and I find that helps me stay alert. I have no desire to give up coffee in my regular diet (that will be pried from cold dead hands), so do you think it’s okay to sub tea on raw days? I know it’s not really raw, but it’s healthy, right?

The short answer? Absolutely. But Bianca isn’t the first reader to ask me about coffee or tea. So let’s discuss this a bit, starting with a piece of advice for all you rawcurious eaters out there:

I cannot stress enough that the surrendering of ancillary habits (coffee drinking, tea drinking, gum chewing, social drinking) should not be your main focus as you start to eat more raw.

Don’t get me wrong: I applaud your efforts to give up (if indeed you’re trying to give up) coffee, booze, or any other less-than-perfect inclination. Truly! But if you’re serious about eating raw, then you need to focus on the fundamentals of transition first: eating more raw foods, dark leafy greens, and juices, and eating less processed foods and animal products. This is a significant project in its own right, and it will most likely demand plenty of energy and discipline for a while—along with sudden appreciation for all of the wonderful foods that a raw diet has to offer, naturally

If you’re intent on weaning yourself off of caffeine, tackle it either before or after you’ve gotten comfortable with raw foods. There’s no point in undertaking the two challenges at once: these are battles best fought independently. You won’t undo the benefits of raw food if you’re still sipping coffee in the morning, so relax. Wait until you’ve mastered the fundamentals. And then unleash your battle plan against the Starbucks logo!

But let’s get back to Bianca’s real question: Is tea OK? Is it healthy? Does it fit in with a raw lifestyle?

Again, the answer is yes. I choose not to drink green tea (or any caffeinated tea) on a regular basis, because all caffeinated products are acidifying: in my own value system, their acidity outweighs their potential benefits (yes, even in spite of all you’ve been hearing about the antioxidants in green tea). But I won’t deny that there are antioxidants in green tea, or that it’s a great alternative to coffee. So you should feel free to consume it for as long as you need/want to.

Herbal tea, meanwhile, is absolutely fine. Many raw foodists drink plenty of it. I drink herbal tea all winter long (and often in the summer, too). My favorite is the Yogi brand—especially the ginger variety! It’s warming and energizing, and I vastly prefer it to coffee, now that I’ve gotten used to it. I’m also a big fan of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice flavor (as you may have guessed, I’m a sucker for cinnamon).

Hope this answers your question, Bianca! And remember, everyone: little vices should not be your focus as you transition into raw foods. Get a handle on eating more alkalizing, plant-based foods first: let your admirable attempts to break other habits come later.

Keep the questions coming!

In other news:

My friend Allison sent me this wonderful email recently:

“Choosing Raw inspired me to buy a proper Tupperware set that includes smaller containers for salad dressing. Finally, I will stop wasting money on deli salads and yucky midtown lunches. I owe you a smoothie for that!”

This email warmed my heart, and it got me thinking: how many of you might be making great raw lunches at home or at the office? And wouldn’t it be nice to share them?

No, this isn’t a formal challenge (like Leng’s magnificent salad challenge). But it is an invitation for you to start emailing me pictures or recipes of the innovative raw meals you’re making on your own—or for you to simply send me a picture of your lunchtime salad! It’s making me so happy to hear that you are experimenting in your kitchens and eating more raw foods, so please share. I’ll post a photo on the blog and give some laudatory words about your masterpieces.

Speaking of masterpieces, guess what arrived at my office last week? A dehydrator!! The very kind people at Excalibur have answered my prayers! I don’t have my camera with me to take a photo of it, but here’s what it will look like after I’ve ripped open the packaging:

As many of you know from my “How to Get Started” tab, I don’t consider dehydrators essential to those who are just getting started on raw foods. My own approach to eating raw, as you’ve no doubt realized by now, is simple, and I practice what I preach: preparing raw foods should require no more time or kitchen gear than preparing regular fare. Salads, soups, wraps, and nut pates are the fundamentals.

That said, it’s a huge treat to be able to expand one’s raw repertoire to include delicious raw breads and crackers, scrumptious desserts, gently warmed and marinated vegetables, and even such complex creations as raw quiches! And that is precisely what a dehydrator is for. It’s an ideal tool for those of your who really want to replicate the staples of a conventional diet in 100%  raw form (if you’d rather make raw bread than buy Ezekiel, for instance) and those of you who like to go nuts in the kitchen.

I can’t wait to begin experimenting and showing you what I create, and I am so grateful to Excalibur for this tremendous gift.

Of course, getting it out of my office and up the stairs to my walk up apartment will be another story.

Have a great Wednesday, all!

xo

Low Sugar Treats to Savor

If it’s true that all of us tend in either the sweet or savory direction, then I know where I fall. I’ve loved sweet foods for as long as I can remember. Chips, burgers, French fries, crackers, conventional breads, nachos: not one of these dearly beloved guilty pleasures has ever tempted me. Sweets, on the other hand? Let’s just say I’m a woman who appreciates my chocolate.

Which is why I sympathize when clients of mine tell me that they’re struggling with sweet cravings after dinner, or that they’re trying to break a dessert habit and failing. Life is sweet, and it’s too damn short to live without the occasional sweet food—at least in my opinion. But it’s important to stay balanced, and of course there are many drawbacks to eating too many sweets—not least the ugly crash when the blood sugar drops, or the compulsive eating that sugar can fuel.

In addition, there’s good reason for women to be conscious of how much sugar they’re eating. Some of my clients struggle with yeast (or candida) overgrowth. If you don’t know what this means, you’re not alone: it’s one of the most talked about health conditions in the holistic community, yet rarely discussed outside. What is yeast? Well, it’s a fungal organism that is present in everyone’s digestive tract, and it frequently makes appearances in our mucous membranes, too (as thrush in babies’ mouths, or as yeast infections in women). It’s typically kept in check by the good bacteria in our gut and elsewhere, but when these bacteria are weakened ( from antibiotics, acidity, low immunity, stress, or hormone imbalance), the yeast can begin to multiply in an annoyingly persistent fashion. When it does, lots of nasty side effects can occur. These range dramatically from woman to woman, but they typically include yeast infections, fatigue, fuzzy-headedness or trouble focusing, constipation, abdominal bloating or swelling, gas, UTIs, eczema, mood swings, and intense cravings for sweets.

How do you know if you have a yeast problem? Well, if you have a history of antibiotics, hormonal birth control, a diet heavy in processed food and sugar, smoking, or heavy drinking, and you have some of the symptoms above, you might have a yeast problem. Holistic doctors and naturopaths give diagnoses of yeast overgrowth frequently; conventional doctors claim that holistic doctors give the diagnosis too frequently. It’s hard to say for sure who’s right: on the one hand, the symptoms associated with yeast are commonplace symptoms of other conditions, too, and they’re commonplace in general—I mean, don’t we all get fatigued now and then? On the other hand, I’ve seen so many women (myself included) benefit dramatically from eating a yeast sensitive diet—that is, a diet low in sugar, supplemented with an herbal antifungal supplement—that I’ve come to believe that yeast is a very legitimate and prevalent health complaint.

Which is all the more reason for me to have assembled a delicious lineup of raw desserts that are low in sugar. These are ideal not only for yeast sufferers, who need to avoid sugar temporarily in order to regain balance (even sugar that’s typically deemed healthy, like fruit and natural sweeteners), or for anyone who’s trying to break out of a cycle of eating too many sweets. They impart all of the uplifting taste of dessert without any of its drawbacks.

Many of these are made with Stevia. If you don’t know what Stevia is, it’s a fantastic, 100% natural, sugar-free sweetener that you can find in any health food store (not to be confused with Truvia, the Stevia imposter that’s currently being marketed by Coca-Cola. It it contains erythritol, a sugar alcohol extract, which isn’t great for candida sufferers, and “natural flavors,” whatever those are–look for an all natural Stevia brand instead, such as Stevita’s “Simply Stevia”).

Keep in mind that these desserts won’t taste exactly like the desserts you’re used to. They’re less sweet and probably a little less fun. Please don’t be mislead into thinking that this is all the raw food world has to offer in terms of dessert: there are a ton of incredible raw dessert recipes out there, and if you have no reason to avoid sugar, then you can (and should) experiment! The recipes I’m about to share are for people who—either temporarily or permanently—need to avoid the sugar bowl, the agave, the honey, and even the fruit.

A special thank you goes out to my friend Ricki, who follows an ACD (anti-candida diet) and recently gave her readers a beautiful round up of her own favorite desserts. She helped inspire me to write this post, and I’ve included one of her creations here.

So, without further ado, my favorite low-sugar sweet treats!

1) Dark chocolate

If you’re buying chocolate that’s 70% or more cocoa, and free of added sugars (look for syrups or sugars on the label), feel free to indulge! This is a quick, easy low-sugar treat that’s also highly portable, so you can take it out to dinner and not feel like a sad sack while your friends are ordering gooey desserts. Eat up!

2) Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Remember my Pumpkin Pie in a Bowl Soup? Well here’s a neat trick. Make the recipe (omitting any salt) and freeze it overnight. When you’re ready to eat, let it soften (you can throw it in a food processor or Vitamix to give it a soft-serve texture if it’s gotten a little icy).

This is quite possibly my favorite dessert, and it’s absolutely guiltless—frozen or not. It’s healthy, delicious, highly evocative of comforting sweets, and very low in sugar.

3) Ricki’s Carob-Coconut Sweeties

I’ll let the master chef say a few words about these:

“One of my favorite junky sweet treats when I was in my teens and 20s was Nielsen “Macaroons.”  They were essentially milk chocolate (or should I say, “milk chocolate flavored“) rosettes–sort of like Hershey kisses with toasted coconut in them–and I adored them.  I’d stop at the Bulk Barn on my way home from class and purchase a small bag, then munch away during the bus ride home. . .

Although I haven’t eaten the Nielsen variety in about a decade, these little confections reminded me of them–only much, much healthier.  To me, these sweets taste like actual milk chocolate (not chocolate “candy”), mixed with coconut.”

Ingredients:

1 heaping Tbsp (20 ml) smooth natural almond butter
1 heaping Tbsp (20 ml) tahini (sesame paste)
2 level tsp (10 ml) carob powder (sift if lumpy)
pinch salt
2 tsp (10 ml) finely ground chia seeds (use 1 Tbsp/15 ml for the agave/maple syrup option, as they will be too soft otherwise)
8-10 drops stevia liquid (this is probably 3 packs of the solid stuff)
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract (optional)
heaping 1/4 cup (65-70 ml) unsweetened, dried shredded coconut
Tbsp (15 ml) hemp seeds (or hemp nuts), optional

In a food processor (I use my Mini-Prep; any small processor is recommended for this recipe), blend the almond butter, tahini, carob powder, salt and chia until you have  a smooth paste.  Add the stevia and vanilla, if using, and whir again to blend.  Add the coconut and hemp seeds and pulse until evenly distributed.  Scoop the mixture by teaspoonfuls and roll into balls.  Refrigerate (or freeze) 20 minutes or more to allow the mixture to firm up a bit.  (If you can’t wait to dig in, they’re still delicious right away, but they will be fairly soft).   Makes 4-5 balls.

4) Coconut Shake

You’ll be seeing lots of thai coconuts on this blog, friends. They’re delicious, hydrating, full of healthy fats, and they’re also a naturally sweet–yet not too sweet–food. As part of my ongoing attempt to re-create the culinary genius on display at Bonobos, I’ve created my own low-sugar version of their infamous coconut chai.

Ingredients:

Meat and juice of 1 thai coconut
Healthy sprinkle cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Healthy sprinkle garam masala
1 packet Stevia

Throw it all in a blender and enjoy!

5) Cinnamon Baked Sweet Potatoes

Yes, you heard me. One of the best low-sugar desserts is also one of the easiest. Cut a sweet potato into rounds, throw it in the oven at 400, bake until fork tender, and sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon and Stevia about ten minutes before you remove the rounds. Serve them along with your dinner, or enjoy them right after the meal. Yum!

Or…

6) Sweet Potato Mash

This is an equally tasty, slightly more decadent way to eat sweet potatoes for dessert. It would also work nicely with butternut or acorn squash.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, skinned
Cinnamon and nutmeg
Stevia
Almond milk, organic butter, or water to thin

Steam the sweet potato. Throw it in a food processor with cinnamon and Stevia to taste. Begin pulsing until potato is broken down, then thin out the mixture with a touch of water, almond milk, or organic butter until it reaches a creamy consistency. Enjoy warm, with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

7) Avo-Berry Pudding

This was inspired by my beloved chocomole, which is heavy on the dates (a candida no-no). It’s not quite as decadent, I admit, but it’s really pretty great, and it’s also full of fiber, healthy fat, and antioxidants. So eat up!

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
1 packet Stevia
½ cup blueberries

Throw it all in a food processor and pulse. Scrape the processor down and begin mixing again, drizzling in water until a smooth and pudding-like consistency is reached. Enjoy!

8 ) Ani Phyo’s Almond Shake

I love raw smoothies as much as the next girl, but they’re often loaded with sugar. This is my take on Ani Phyo’s incredibly tasty Chocolate Mylk Shake, made with Stevia in place of dates. Enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds
1/2 cup ice
1/2 vanilla bean, or 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract, alcohol free
1 packet stevia
2 tablespoons cacao powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil, liquid
2 cups water (or as much as you like)

Place all ingredients in your high speed blender, and blend until smooth.

I hope these delectable treats show you that staying away from sugar—for whatever reason you’re trying to stay away—doesn’t mean a life devoid of sweetness and pleasure. I also hope you’ll all keep in mind that craving sweet foods every now and then is natural, not a sin! If you’re trying to limit late night munching or dessert overdrive, I recommend the following tips:

1) Examine your craving. If you’re eager to gobble up dessert simply because you’re in the habit, or because your Mom always served ice cream at the end of a meal, or because you’re watching a TV commercial for Dove chocolate, stop. Take a deep breath. Ask yourself if you need something sweet, or if you’re just on autopilot. It’s also worth asking if you’re craving sweets because you feel entitled for some reason (“hey, I ate a healthy dinner! I’m allowed!”) or because you’re stressed.

If the answer is yes, then wait a few minutes. Drink some water. If you still want sweets, then have one of the recipes above, or something similarly sensible. And don’t feel bad! Clearly, you needed the dessert. And you ate something healthy, so you’ve got no reason to spend the rest of the night in remorse.

2) Sip ginger tea or water with a drop of peppermint oil. So often what we interpret as a “sweet craving” is really a desire for a different taste on our palates. So offer yourself that change of taste with teas or essential oils: they’ll give you a new, palate-cleansing taste without unnecessary food.

3) Keep busy. If you’re bored at night, you may be more drawn to sweets than you would otherwise. Read, write emails, stretch, or just walk around your apartment: these small activities will do wonders to replace the sugar urge.

4) Incorporate sweet foods into your dinner. This is a hugely helpful tip, and it’s often overlooked. We frequently fetishize sugar because the foods we eat don’t offer us anything sweet. So eat more carrots, root vegetables, sugar snap peas, and vegetable juices. They’ll give you the sweet flavors you’re craving without a lot of sugar—and with a host of vitamins and nutrients, too!

Most importantly: make peace with your cravings. If you beat yourself up about nighttime snacking, you’ll turn the habit into a self-fulfilling prophecy: each night you’ll try to resist, and each night you’ll give into the siren’s call. Instead, stay calm, and be assertive about the way you handle your cravings. If you’ve slowed down, taken a few breaths, and established that yes, you really do want something sweet, then go for it. Eat something that’s not too high in sugar, enjoy it, and move on.

If you take a few breaths and realize that you’re simply bored, or lonely, or acting out of habit, then go focus on a good book, or on the latest episode of 24. Desserts will be around tomorrow, if you really need them. One night without a sweet treat isn’t going to hurt you.

Neither of these scenarios is a failure, and neither is a superhuman triumph. They’re simply two healthy responses to your body’s needs on any given night. Don’t try to eliminate either instinct from your life–constant abstinence and constant indulgence are equally boring!

Have a great evening, everyone!

xo

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