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CatherineR

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CatherineR
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  • Raw challenge!

    Day 25

    Breakfast: another delicious fruit salad. And usual cacao smoothie, coupled with another raw strawberry cheesecake shortly after (it's clear I'm a creature of habit).

    Lunch: I made I giiiiiant salad of purple cabbage, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pomegranate seed, avocado, and made a tahini dressing. I used to have a wonderful recipe for the dressing on my old laptop but didn't save it, so I tried a new one that just wasn't great. It needed a lot of modifications, probably because of the 1:1 ratio between lemon juice and tahini. I also had to add date syrup for sweetness, and cumin. It still didn't quite come together but still decent enough for me to eat the whole thing. Just wasn't as good as my old recipe, and I don't remember the source, unfortunately. I thought it was Rawvana but alas. Then had cacao smoothie #2. 

    Dinner: I had actually planned a dehydrated dinner! Notice past tense, haha... the recipe I used was the zucchini nuggets from the Rawtarian, but realized halfway through I didn't have the mushrooms. I thought, "oh well, I'll compensate with more zucchini." Weeeell, turns out zucchini is quite a bit more watery than mushrooms. I added some more flax powder to compensate, but it still turned out much more liquid a recipe than anticipated. I remember thinking it'd be done by dinner, only to realize the dehydration time was actually 7 1/2 hours rather than the 4 I allotted. This is where I *gasp* cheated, since I cranked up the dehydrator past the raw point. But I have zero shame.

    I also made the zucchini mix more into little patties than nuggets to expedite the time. They reminded me of little latkes, actually: zucchini, almond meal, almond butter, flax, olive oil, onion powder (I used cut onion), sea salt... they turned out well! I put them as mini-sliders and used lettuce leaves to wrap them. I wish lettuce prep didn't take so long--ain't no triple-washed boxed lettuce here, so I have to rinse, rinse again, then spin dry them. At first I was concerned they'd taste too plain, but in actuality it was perfect because I love super-strong condiments. I have amazing mustard that practically burns the nose when you smell it, and I also got some locally made mint-cilantro spread. I double checked the recipe and procedure and it seems fully raw to me. I at first thought it'd be too spicy for the patties but wow, great combo. Wonderful flavors. Oh, I added a tomato slice and avocado on top of the patties. The plate looked small at first, but it was super filling.

    Tomorrow I will be attempting to make a cake for a celebration. Should be a fun time! Only minor downside is that I'm going to a relative's house overnight and so I'm packing food for the day/night and for the cake. It's not an inconvenience as much as doing a gut check of, "have I become that crazy/mildly obsessed person?" It's strange that I judge myself unnecessarily for these scenarios: "is it weird to order little at a restaurant? Is it unhealthy to find social settings cumbersome from a food perspective?" I don't have the answers, though I do know it's a reason (not the main one, but a reason nonetheless) why a lot of raw vegans ultimately quit. I'm old enough to be in control of my own diet and those around me love me unconditionally, but social exclusion on any level is evolutionarily built into us as something to avoid (lest we get thrown out of the tribe and have to wander the desert to forage alone, and all that).  

    ClaireT
  • Raw challenge!

    Day 24: really delicious raw day, actually.

    Breakfast: cacao smoothie along with a fruit salad of papaya, mango, banana, and pomegranate seeds. The fruit was really delicious, especially the mango. This country has the most incredible mangoes, and the ones I get in the States are nothing like the ones here. I actually don't even bother getting mangoes there because they're not as good. On the same token, I don't bother eating cherries, peaches, or blueberries here for the same reason. 

    Post-breakfast: I enjoyed a slice of the strawberry cheesecake! I shouldn't say "slice" since I usually use my copper ramekins on account of not having a proper springboard pie tin. It's fun eating out of those cups anyway. But back on point, it turned out well! The strawberry layer on top was pretty tart, but the sweetness of the thicker cheesecake layer balanced it out. 

    Lunch: rockin salad of purple cabbage and lettuce in equal portions, carrot, tomato, and pomegranate seeds. I poured over the ranch dressing I made--it's the one I made earlier in the challenge coming from the Rawtarian's book, and it is flippin amazing. I added more apple cider vinegar and garlic to it since I like a punchier dressing, but I devoured the whole salad so quickly.

    Dinner: made more tomato soup, though I feel like I keep adding more stuff to it. Today I threw in some nutritional yeast, on top of the basil and sun-dried tomatoes. I think I'll scale back the extras, though, because it detracts from the delightful purity of JUST tomato soup. 

    Rice still hasn't sprouted, so it was suggested to drain and let the moist rice sprout in cheesecloth. At this point I'll hand it over and see what happens. 

    Tomorrow I may mess around with the dehydrator for the Brussels sprouts, but I understand those suckers can take 2 days to dehydrate for anything other than just the flimsy chips. I don't want to cast out the whole veggie so I may do the battered cuts and dehydrate them. We shall see. 

     

    TammiTrue
  • Raw challenge!

    For dinner last night, I ended up having zoodles with pesto sauce made from PETA's recipe, though I halved the pesto and ended up with not enough. I seldom have success with zucchini pasta because it usually ends up obscenely watery to the point that I feel like I have soup at the bottom of the bowl. Not too appetizing, but it was alright. Turns out nutritional yeast is a great addition to pesto. It's been a while since I had nutritional yeast and I forgot how much I genuinely enjoy the flavor. Great mouthfeel, though I know it's not everyone's cup of tea.

    We will see how the sprouted black rice goes. It's been soaking overnight and it's definitely not ready this morning.   

    TammiTrue
  • Raw challenge!

    Day 23: 

    Day isn't quite done but I'll post now!

    Breakfast: Had cacao smoothie, followed by a pineapple date smoothie: fresh pineapple, coconut milk, dates, and a bit of salt. I also ate the last of the onion flax crackers I bought and am reminding myself to make some more. 

    Lunch: Big bowl of tomato soup, same as yesterdays... though some basil came, so I threw some of that in the blender. I might even make the exact same thing for dinner because it's just so flippin good. 

    Post-lunch, I made the strawberry cheesecake from the Rawtarian's book. I've made the raw cheesecake before, it was just the simple strawberry layer that I'd not done, made of just strawberries and dates. The batter tasted awesome and so I'm confident it'll be delicious. In fact, it'll probably be better than the raw desserts I had in Bali, although the banana cream pie might give it a run for the money.

    Dinner: probably going to make a cucumber salad with a sweet Asian dressing (also Rawtarian's book: orange juice, almond butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, garlic... though I'll probably also add ginger). I am a little sad that I don't have those sprouted chickpeas on hand. Or I might be lazy and go with another soup, but not sure. :)

    Oh, but I WILL be sprouting some (organic) black rice! I was pretty excited to procure it--I've had it cooked once and it's a lovely grain. As strange as it sounds, its anthocyanin actually has a distinct taste that reminds me of blueberries. I'm hoping Bryan Au is right that this is sproutable... and so this makes me excited to have a rice-type salad tomorrow. It almost makes me feel like I'm cheating on raw, though, even if I'm seeing all sorts of rolled oat recipes and wondering to myself, "when did rolled oats ever become raw?!" I'm also thinking I should bust out my dehydrator. I always think, "but it takes forever!" only to realize if I made something in the morning I could be enjoying it by now. 

    The other thing that hit me is how I feel strangely guilty for spending so much time preparing food. But then I realize most of human history has been people spending a lot of time making food. Or, at least, it's this era in human history in which (at least Westerners) have spent the least amount of time making food thanks to the packaging, preserving, canning industry etc. I guess I sometimes feel too hedonistic spending so much time in the kitchen. 

    TammiTrue
  • But that was supposed to taste good!

    I'm laughing at this post in the nicest possible way, because I can SO relate. Raw prep takes a fair amount of time, and when the flavors don't come together it's seriously frustrating. It's to the point that if I don't trust the author, I don't make the dish. Well, actually I'll try them once, but they only get one shot. I've blacklisted a few of the biggest raw vegan names out there because their recipes are crap.

    The Rawtarian's recipes, on the other hand, are phenomenal. 

    TammiTrueClaireT