Creamy Pumpkin Soup (Vegan)

The other day, I made this sweet pumpkin cream cheese dip (vegan) that was heavenly, but it only called for the slightest bit of canned pumpkin.  As a result, I had almost a full can of pumpkin left.  Feeling guilty about making yet another cookie, cake, or sweet bread, I opted to make some pumpkin soup.  Boy, I sure am glad I did, too!  This soup was perfect for the chilly rainy days we've been having lately, and definitely tasted of the Christmas season without all the extra sugar of a traditional "sweet" pumpkin baked goodie.  As I say about everything I post on my blog...this is YUM!

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• olive oil to sautee (2 Tbs. approx.)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine*
• salt/pepper (to taste)
• 5 cups water + 2 Tbs veggie base, or 5 cups liquid veggie stock (or chicken broth/stock if you don't care about the vegan thing)
• 1 can pureed pumpkin (15 oz. can)
• 1 Tbs Sugar in the Raw (if using regular table sugar, use a little less, as I think it's sweeter)**
• tiny dash of nutmeg (optional)**
• tiny dash of cinnamon (optional)**
• 1/2 cup raw cashews (cream base)
• 1 cup water (cream base)

* a good tip on having wine around for cooking without having to open, and pay for, a whole bottle is to buy those little 4 packs of individual servings.  Works great for cooking without spoiling a bottle of wine!

**  Even though there is a small bit of sugar in this soup, it is NOT a sweet soup.  The sugar is strictly there to add depth of flavor.  Please use your salt and pepper as you would any other savory soup.

*** "Cinnamon and Nutmeg?!"  Yes, you heard me right.  Again, this is NOT a sweet soup; it's definitely savory, but the cinnamon and nutmeg make it fall'ish tasting.  This is a more acquired taste, so if you're scared to use it, then don't  You'll be surprised, though, at how subtle it is, and how special those flavors make this soup.  You can always leave it out, and add the tiniest bit to your own bowl to try it out before seasoning the whole pot.

Instructions:

Chop carrots, onion, and garlic.  First, add carrots since they are the densest of the veggies.  Cover with lid during the sautee process (while stirring periodically) so the steam will help cook the carrots faster.  Once the carrots start to soften and develop a little color, add the chopped onion, garlic, and hefty pinch of salt/pepper.

(as you can see, I did not have an onion on hand, and had to use onion powder as a replacement, but fresh chopped onion is ideal.  Hey...I was desperate for creamy soup last night, and did not want to go to the grocery!)

Once the veggies are tender, "deglaze" the pan with the white wine.  Dear non-cooking friends, this simply means pour the wine into the hot pan with the sautéed veggies, scraping up the caramelized bits that may be on the bottom of the pan.

Let wine and veggies simmer for a bit, letting the alcohol cook out of the wine some.  The liquid should slightly reduced during this process.  At this point, add the veggie stock/base/bouillon/whatever you have.  Bring to a simmer.  Add pureed pumpkin and 1 Tbs of sugar, and stir to incorporate.  Taste it for seasoning!

After about 5 minutes, or so, of simmering the brothy mixture, use a hand blender to thoroughly blend until a homogenous creamy consistency is achieved.


"CLAIRE?!?!  I don't have a hand blender!!!"  Don't freak out.  You can use your trusty table-top blender to do this.  You will probably have to blend in batches, though.  Also, be careful when blender a hot mixture in a table-top blender as the steam from the soup can make it explode if the lid is not cracked open, or vented.

After blending, turn heat to low and let lightly simmer, stirring frequently so the soup does not scorch on the bottom of the pot.

For the cream base, add the cashews and 1 cup water to your table top blender.  Blend on high until mixture is totally creamy, and no cashew pieces remain.  I let mine run for a couple minutes, at least.  Add cashew cream to hot blended soup mixture.  Stir to thoroughly combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and nutmeg and cinnamon, as well.  Remember, the cinnamon and nutmeg should be a very small amount; like 1/4 tsp each, or so.  TASTE IT!

YUM!  Soup is done and ready to be devoured!  You should have a golden yellow, creamy, soup oozing comfort and creamy satisfaction :-)


Enjoy the cold holiday season,
Claire

The FAST Hurom Slow Juicer

JUICING!

Juicing is awesome.  Why juice?  And what's the difference between green juices and green smoothies?  Fruits and veggies are detoxifiers, remember?  The main difference, here, is fiber and concentration.  When we eat a piece of fruit, we must macerate the fruit in the chewing process to break down the fiber so the juice can be accessed.  As you and I both know, we're not the most thorough of chewers, and often swallow chunks of food figuring our digestive juices will take care of the rest.  When we do this, we're not separating the juice from the fiber before it hit our digestive system, therefore causing our digestive system to waste energy breaking down food instead of repairing our cells/bodies.  Therefore, only a small amount of concentrated juice actually hits our system.  Also, juicing allows you to consume a larger amount of fruits/veggies in a more concentrated form.  Instead of eating a whole head of romaine lettuce, you can juice it and only have to consume a 1/2 cup of liquid.  See the difference?

Don't get me wrong, fiber is good for you, and hopefully you are getting a good amount of it in other areas of your diet throughout the day.  Fiber acts as a bottle brush to our intestines, cleaning them of the plaque build-up they've acquired over the years of eating highly refined foods.  Fiber also keeps our metabolism high and working, and sustains hunger.  So, make sure to still eat high amounts of fiber in other aspects of your daily diet...just not in your juicing regiment :-)

When you juice raw fruits and vegetables, you deliver a highly concentrated amount of raw enzymes, vitamins, fatty acids, chlorophyll, etc. straight to your blood stream.  Think of it as liquid medicine.  The key to juicing is RAW.  Pasteurized bottled juices you buy at the store are almost void of all the goodness they started with.  The pasteurization process heats the juice to a high temperature in hopes of killing bacterias that cause fast spoilage so to extend the shelf life of their product.  That high temperature not only kills bacteria, but also a vast amount of the good stuff you WANT in juice.  Buy a juicer, and make your own high quality raw juices!  Pasteurized juices are crap.

I love juicing; it has almost taken the place of my morning smoothie.  I will make smoothies every now and then if I feel my diet has been lacking in fiber lately, which is rare now that I'm a veggie.  For Christmas (early Christmas present, that is), my folks bought me the new big bad Hurom Slow Juicer.  It is awesome, and I use it daily!  It's a single auger slow juicer that's actually really fast!  Slow juicing?  Why slow?  Slow juicing is thought to be best because it oxidizes and heats the least during the juicing process, and oxidation/heat can destroy the vital nutrients.  No matter what, slow juicing or fast centrifugal juicing....both are way better for you than pasteurized juices.

My favorite daily green juice I consume consistently, always a minimum of wake through lunch, is called Green Lemonade.  I got this particular recipe from Natalia Rose's Detox Diet book, but all raw foodies drink some sort of version of this green juice.  It's great!

• One head romaine lettuce
• 3 or 4 stalks of kale
  
• 2 lemons peeled
  
• 2 large apples (more or less depending on your personal sweetness level)
  
• 1 small cucumber
• chunk of ginger (optional)

*side note*  Some juicers require peeling lemons and oranges, and some do not.  The Hurom juicer does not require you to peel, but know that if you leave the peel on, the oils from the rind can be very intense.

Church...hmmmm

I grew up in a traditional family atmosphere.  Mom and Dad; no step-anything.  PTA, sisterly quarrels, and church every Sunday.  My childhood was great, and I wouldn't change a thing.  Since becoming an adult, and creating my own life, some things have changed.  Going to church is one of those.  I was a theology minor in college, and loved every bit of it.  It is the most fascinating study...also the most trying.  I'm not going to say my theological studies are solely to blame for my departure from church as an independent adult, but it did have some part.  Sometimes ignorance is bliss.  More so, I think life in general has just been playing out how it's supposed to.

I haven't been an active member at church since graduating high school.  Honestly, I'm just not sure how I feel about God, Jesus, and the Bible...or any God, for that matter.  That's not to say I'm a non-believer, I'm just not so sure about any of it.  Let's put it this way, I have not had a religious experience that has provided me with this unwavering faith so many speak of.  I'm not going to lie; I haven't prayed to God in a long time.  And when I do, I always pray that if He is there and listening that He understands my struggle with belief, and has patience with me during this journey of mine.

I could write pages, upon pages of my likes and gripes with modern religious practice, but I'm not even going to go there.  Where I will go is to this undeniable need and want to return back to church.  Why?  I don't know.  Basically, I want to believe in God, but my brain tells me it's just not always the smartest thing to do.  So, do I go to church and fear God will know I'm on shaky ground with my faith and resent my presence there, or do I not go even though I want to go?

Many atheists will bring about the "man created God for comfort" theory when debating divine presence, and I have been thinking about this quite a bit, recently.  If man DID create God for comfort, then what's so bad about that?  Is this "false God for comfort" endangering my day to day life?  If when I die and find out I'm not in Heaven, will I be pissed I spent a lifetime caring about others, donating my time to those in need, and placing a hope in my life that brought happiness and peace for the time being?  I'm starting to look at this as a win/win situation.  Whether there is, or is not a God, the idea of "church" can still be a good thing.

I adore the church I grew up in.  The people, pastor, and ideologies all "fit" for me.  I think I might work my way back in there.  They, the church, it...brings me comfort.  Whether false comfort, or true, I've got a lifetime to feel good about it.
 

Creamy Cheezy Corn Chowder

It's been cold around here in South Texas lately....COLD!  I'm serious!  When it's cold outside, all I can think about is warm food...not salads.  With that being said, I have been naughty about not having my daily all-raw salad at lunch and replacing it with warm comforting cooked, but still vegan, food.  I have been keeping up with my green smoothie/green juice throughout the beginning of the day...although a nice warm stack of whole grain pancakes sure was tempting!  Ha!  Anyway, yesterday I was jonesin' for something hot and creamy, and came across a recipe on the internet, which I ended up tweaking to meet my "needs."  This corn chowder was just what I needed!

This recipe can be very versatile.  Don't have nutritional yeast?  no biggie, it will still be creamy, just not cheesy.  Want it spicy?  Sure!  Either add a can of Rotel, or a couple jalapenos.  I think this chowder would be great with a little spicy kick, but I didn't have any jalapenos on hand.  

TRY THIS RECIPE!  It is sooooo good!  My mother informed me the other day I was not the best at being clear in the "instruction" section of my recipes, so please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.  Sorry guys, I just assume everyone knows how to boil water, spice "to taste," and what stove top temperature to cook at.  Here's the basics, guys:  if you feel like something's missing when cooking, it's the salt...add more.  The most common mistake when cooking, in my opinion, is people do not use enough salt!  Salt goes in EVERYTHING.  It is the "depth" of taste.  If you want something to cook faster, then chop it smaller, and vice versa.   Sautéing something?  Use medium - med/high heat.  I almost never use the "low" setting on my stove top.  I also never know how much olive oil I use when sautéing.  I assume it's around 2-3 Tbs....just make sure you have enough to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.  Again, please don't hesitate to ask me your questions.  I know I'm bad about not being thorough in the instructions, but I'm just not use to it because I'm such an "instinct cook" in the kitchen.  Enjoy!

Cheezy CREAMY Vegan Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 small chopped yellow onion, 1/2 large yellow onion
• 1 cup small chopped carrots
• 1-2 fresh de-seeded chopped jalapenos (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups water + 1 Tbs vegetable base (or the equivalent in bouillon cubes/stock)
• 2 cups frozen sweet corn (divided in half)
• 1 Tbs dried parsley
• 1 tsp. pepper
• Salt (roughly close to a Tbs by the finish)
• 3 Tbs Nutritional Yeast (optional cheeze sauce)
• 1/2 tsp. paprika (optional cheeze sauce)
• 3/4 cup raw cashews (cream base)
• 2 cups water (cream base)

Instructions:

In a soup pot, heat roughly 2 - 3 Tbs olive oil in the bottom of the pain over medium high heat.  Once heated, add chopped onion, carrot (and jalapeno if using), parsley, about 1 tsp. salt, and pepper.  After adding veggies, turn heat down to medium.  Cover with lid in between stirring so the steam will help cook the carrots faster.  Sauté until carrots are almost tender, and then add chopped garlic.  Continue cooking until all veggies are completely tender, but not mush.   Add 2 cups water + veggie base/bouillon or stock equivalent AND 1 cup of the frozen corn.  Bring to a boil, then turn off heat.

At this point, use an immersion blender to completely blend mixture to creamy consistency.........OR.........(read the next bullet points about blender blending.)

• Let cool to warm, or completely. 
• As for myself, I made this part at lunch, put in the fridge, went back to work, and then finished the rest of the recipe after work at 5pm.  If you're wanting to make this recipe all together at one time, the reasoning for letting this mixture cool some is because it's going in the blender, and blending a super hot mixture can be dangerous. 
• Take cooled soup mixture, and pour into a blender.  Blend until completely homogenized (smoothie consistency).  Once blended, return mixture back to soup pan/stove, and heat at medium temp. stirring frequently as to not burn the now thick mixture.  

To the now blended mixture,  add the other 1 cup frozen corn.  For a cheezy flavor, wisk in the nutritional yeast and paprika at this time.

Rinse blender with hot tap water, and return to motor base.  Add cashews and 2 cups water.  Blend on high until a complete milk-like consistency is achieved, and absolutely NO pieces of cashew remain.  This requires blending for a few minutes, depending on your blender.  *soaking your cashews anywhere from 3 hours to overnight will make them the easiest to blend, but un-soaked cashews can be used, as well, and will reach the desired consistency.  Un-soaked cashews will just need to be blended a little longer.

Add cashew milk mixture to the warmed blended veggie mixture in pot.  Bring soup up to desired hot temperature, but do not boil.  Salt and pepper to taste, and then serve!

Merry Christmas,

Claire

The Month of Thanksgiving...

A friend of mine picked up an idea from one of her friend's blog about dedicating a post each day to something she's thankful for.  I figured I'd keep the trend going as expressing our gratitude can never go out of style.  Since it's the 12th, I'll work up to the 12th day in this post, and then get back on schedule tomorrow.  Thanks for the idea, Omi!  Dang, is that #1 already? ;-)

1.  As always, my parents are first on the list.  I am so thankful to have such amazing parents.  My folks are funny, supportive, stern, grounded, accepting, courageous, wise, open minded, curious, humble, smart, fantastic parents, and the best friends I could ever ask for.  Without them, and how they have raised me, I am nothing.  I have taken these guys on quite a roller coaster ride for the past 26 years, and they have always been ready to take "shot gun" either griping their seats with a grimace, or waving their hands in the air with a smile.  I hope to be just like them when I "grow up" and have kids of my own.

2.  My sister, Kellye, is way better of a sister to me than I am to her.  We've had our ups and downs over the years, but the downs are done, and I'm so fortunate to have a partner in crime in the Cunningham Fam.

3.  I know this sounds psycho, but my dog Fred means so much to me it's scary.  He literally saved my life during my battle with Pure-O OCD.  He is my child, my hero, the sometimes pain in my ass, unconditional loving, massive shedding, comforting, always loyal #1 man in my life.  He's somewhere around 11 years old.  It is NOT going to be pretty when it's time for him to "go."  I love you, Fred!

4.  My God given talents with food and music.  May these talents continue to provide comfort and memories to my life.

5.  Steven...I can't think of anyone better suited for me.  You are the support, smiles, love, and laughs that have been missing from my life.  You inspire me to be a better person, and you are proving to be the challenge to every one of my "I will never..." statements.  Damn, I hate being wrong, but will gladly accept defeat as long as your involved. :-) 

6.  Although I sometimes can't wait to leave this place, living in New Braunfels is truly a gem.  Sometimes I take it for granted, but I know deep down this place is a one of a kind.  Texans...you rock!  There are no people like Texans; they are the nicest people.

7.  I am so thankful for my 4 working arms and legs!  Seriously!  I wouldn't be able to run, swim, bake, play guitar, drive, etc. without them.  Thank you good health and luck in this department.

8.  My college education financially provided to me by my parents is a priceless gift.  Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me the wonderful gift of knowledge and experience.  College changed my life forever.

9.  Thank you Darrell David for employing me for the past 3 years.  I am so thankful for my job and financial security...and for having such an understanding and giving boss.  It has been a pleasure working for you, Darrell.

10.  I am so thankful for all those life experiences that may have hurt like hell at the time, but taught me so much about myself and life in the long run.  I have avoided many mistakes by learning from the first ones.

11.  Chocolate.  Thank you God for making the cacao bean!

12.  I am thankful for my church families both in Garland and New Braunfels.  Although I'm not an active member at this time in my life, I was raised going to church every Sunday.  My church family has supported me through music, life crisis, small business adventures, education, and the list goes on.  Even though I am the lesser person for not being active in that community, they continue to love and support me throughout my life.  That is something truly special I don't deserve.

13.  I am thankful for the men and women of our country who serve in the U.S. Military.  They make so many sacrifices I can't imagine making.  Each and every one of these individuals are double the person I am.

*more to come....

Vegan Choco-Chip Cookies

Vegan "Heart Healthy" Chocolate Chip Cookies

 These cookies are great!  It's a weird cookie prep. process, and I was skeptical, but they turned out fantastic.  I found this recipe here, and made a just a couple adjustments.  I promise you, non-vegans will eat the hell out of these!  They are soft, chewy, flavorful...and much better for you than an original chocolate chip cookie.  I'm also pretty sure these are gluten free.  I did some research on oat products being gluten free, and found that oats, themselves, do not contain gluten, but are often processed in a plant that also processes wheat, barley, and rye products, which DO contain gluten.  Therefore, cross contamination with gluten grains can be a concern if one is highly sensitive to their gluten intolerance.  Basically, it's a personal issue if you feel oat products aggravate your Celiac Disease, or not. 


Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. coconut oil (canola oil can be used)
  
• 2 cups raw walnuts (best "bang for your buck" at Costco)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1½ cups oat flour *
  
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt (VERY important)
  
• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3 3.5-oz. bars bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1½ cups vegan chocolate chips (12 oz.)

 * Oat Flour can either be made by processing regular rolled oats in a food processor until a flour like consistency is achieved (the method I used), or oat flour can be bought through a brand like Bob's Red Mill .  I'm pretty sure Whole Foods and Central Market have oat flour in their bulk sections, as well.




Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

2. Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into a fine meal. Add coconut oil and salt. Blend 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally.

3. Whisk together brown sugar and ½ cup water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over ground walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and mix in food processor until no lumps remain.

4. Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool completely **THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! The choco-chips will melt, as you can see mine did a little, if you do not completely cool**.  Fold in oats, then chocolate chips.

5. Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

*I found the cooling was the important factor to this recipe.  I think the sugar/water mixture could be made  30 min. ahead of time, let cool, and then added to the walnut butter mixture to expedite this process.  It shouldn't matter whether the sugar mixture cools before adding to the walnut butter, or after.

Rex Phair Goes Green...smoothie, that is!

Rex Phair...Clueless to the Goodness!

son of Glenn and Allison Phair

New Braunfels, TX  

 

Seriously, though...how cute is this little dude?!

Raw Pumpkin Pie

Raw Pumpkin Pie

I've been dying to make this recipe as I've had frozen fresh carrot juice on hand for quite some time.  All I can say is my dad has already requested this raw pumpkin pie to replace the standard cooked pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving this year.  Yes, it's that good....

This is my sliiightly adapted version of Mathew Kenney's original recipe which can be found here.  I did not dehydrate my crust, as I felt it was unnecessary.  I also increased the sweetener and vanilla extract a tad since I have a sweet tooth, and almost always increase the vanilla and salt in every dessert recipe I make.

CRUST:
2 1/4 cups pecans
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon date paste
1/4 tsp salt

1. Place prepared pecans in food processor; pulse into small fine crumbs. Mix pecans and all remaining ingredients together well by hand.
2. Press into plastic (or parchment) lined 9-inch tart pan to desired thickness.
3. Chill crust in freezer for 15-30 minutes before filling. If not using all of hte crsut mixture, store extra in a container in the freezer.

FILLING:
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup agave
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. carrot juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped (if you have it, no biggie if you don't)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

1. Blend the cashews and carrot juice together first until creamy, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Thoroughly blend until well combined, and coconut oil is completely distributed through mixture.  Pour into tart shell, and chill overnight in refrigerator, or freezer.

The pie will slice "prettiest" if done straight from the freezer, but the pie should be served at refrigerator temp.  I kept mine in the refrigerator the whole time, and it has been fine.  If you are planning to travel this pie, it must be frozen.

*If you do not have a juicer, I know both Whole Foods and Central Market keep raw unpasteurized carrot juice on hand.  At Whole Foods, you might have to go to the juice bar to get it.  I'm not as familar with Whole Foods as I am with Central Market, but I do not Central Market keeps raw juices (carrot always being a staple) in the produce section of the store.  You can buy little 2 cup containers, which is nice when using just for a recipe.

**the coconut oil is absolutely imperative for this recipe to hold together.  Coconut oil has a very low melting point, and solidifies at the slightest drop in temperature...hence keeping the pie in the fridge.

Happy un-cooking!
CC Bloom

Bubble Gut + Broken Back = Bad Running Combo

Well, my first official race was the this past Saturday, The Wurst 5 Miler.  I have been so jazzed for this race since when I first started running in June.  For the past couple of weeks, I have had some spotty nausea and GI issues.  Well, Thursday night started the weekend of Hell!  I came down that evening with what I now call "bubble gut."  Except, this was no normal bubble gut.  I'm pretty sure my bowels were on the verge of exploding.  I've never experienced this much activity down south before in my life.  I also started burping CONTINUOUSLY these hot, gaseous, burn the hair in your noise, vomit smelling burps.  It was beyond disgusting.  You can only imagine what the fate of every "exit" in my body was.  NOT pretty.

I'm not sure what the cause was, yet.  I've pinned it down to food poisoning from my salad dressing, detox, or Candida.  I honestly don't know, but my instincts are telling me it was my salad dressing, or something I was continuously eating, because I started feeling better Friday afternoon....and then I ate my usual daily salad, and immediately felt bad again.  I have no idea.  Nothing ever tasted spoiled, or rancid, so I'm baffled as to what it could have been.  I made a new dressing today containing only one of the same ingredients as the previous dressing, so if I get sick again I think I'll have to pin it on the raw apple cider vinegar.  But, doesn't the vinegar trump spoilage?  *ok, just called the company and they said their apple cider does not need to be refrigerated, and does not spoil*  What the hell?!  I'm really scared to eat my salad today....

So, even though the guts were sick I decided I still needed to attempt the Wurst Run.  Probably not the best idea, but hey, I ended up getting some kind of run in for the day by the time it was all said and done.  Convinced I'm going, I head to the bathroom, bend down to shave my legs, and *!BAM!*...pain shot through the back, down the legs, and brought me to my knees.  I have no logical explanation as to why, or how, this happened, but it did and it was bad.

At this point, my friend, Laurie, shows up and I have a bucket load of problems I spill on her, but we head out the door regardless.  During the run, my body and breathing was feeling great.  Runners...you know...like those days when your body is simply in tune and ready to run?!  I was not labored, and my legs were light....my the belly was bubblin' bad.  Needless to say, mile 3 brought us by the cross street with the hospital, and we opt to head off course and in that direction for the ER bathroom.  I knew I was going to blow at mile 2, so making it to a little past 3 miles was more than I expected to accomplish.  I started running a low-grade fever, so we walked back to where my car was, and got me home.  The rest of Saturday continued to get worse with the stomach/GI issues, my back completely went out, and that night was an AWFUL mixture of both. 

I was really bummed about my first official race being screwed by health issues, and didn't want to be perceived as this person who dishes out excuses for not being able to finish a goal, but they weren't empty excuses...they were real ones!  I felt better knowing I had run 5 miles three times previously with some friends, so there's proof I'm not a faker ;-)  Plus, I got the shirt from the race, and that's all that matters, right?!

In conclusion, I went for my first run this morning since Saturday and I felt great!  Rest days really aren't just for torture...they really do work!

Apple Spice Cake with Praline'esque Frosting

 Apple Spice Cake

Whoa baby!  This cake (not raw or vegan) was a hit on my mom's birthday!  It was a totally new recipe for me, but I found it on my most trust-worthy recipe website, Epicurious.com.  It was a strange cake in some ways.  You make it in a spring form pan, but I think you could also make it in a bundt pan.  The "frosting" is basically a caramel candy type frosting.  It very much resembles a praline without the pralines!  You know, that melt in your mouth sugar???  Oh yeah, that's the one....

Ingredients For Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. clove
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/2 cup butter Crisco
• 2 tsp. light rum
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup + 1 Tbs. apple sauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla

For Frosting:

•  3 Tbs. salted butter
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 6 Tbs. evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. light rum
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
  

Instructions:
Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter pan and set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together sugar, butter crisco, vanilla, and rum with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until combined well, then add egg and beat until pale and fluffy, 2 - 3 minutes with a stand mixer or 5 to 6 minutes with a handheld. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, mixing until combined well. Add applesauce, and mix until combined well.

Spread batter evenly in spring form pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then remove side of pan and cool completely.

For the Frosting:
(*make sure to measure out your evaporated milk all together before hand; you're basically making a caramel here, so you need to be quick with the milk)

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add sugar and evaporated milk and simmer, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes.


Remove from heat and whisk in rum, vanilla, salt, and remaining tablespoon butter.  Then whisk in confectioners sugar 1 tablespoon at a time (*I used an electric hand mixer to do this right in the pan). Cool to warm, about 20 minutes, then pour over cooled cake.

Happy 54th, Mama!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Halloween marked my mom's 54th year of life!  WooHoo!  Yes, my mom is a Halloween baby.  I always feel bad for people who have birthday's on holidays; it seems they always get put on the back burner due to the excitement of the holiday.  Since I'm not really in the "partying/bar scene" mood right now, I planned on having my mom, dad, and Steven over for a grand birthday dinner, but unfortunately my body fell apart on Saturday, so I was unable to cook!  Ugh...more details on that in the next post.  Fortunately, before I got sick, I did make my mom's birthday cake Friday, so at least I had that already done.

My mom has been the ultimate blessing to my life.  She has been my rock, my best friend, my therapist, teacher, and my all supportive and selfless mother.  I wouldn't trade her for the world!  I can only hope to be half the mom she has been to me and my sister.  I love you, Mom!

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

"Non-Vegan Approved" 

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Yum!  As many of you know, I am an AVID baker.  Baking makes my heart smile.  Before making the switch over to a raw/cooked vegan diet, I was so worried I was going to have to ditch my love for baking, but that has not been the case.  I knew vegan baking existed, but being the food snob I am/was, I was one of those who turned their noses up at "alternative" baking. 

Now focusing more on my health, instead of my tongue, I put my prejudice aside and tried out this VERY yummy vegan pumpkin recipe I found here.  In non-vegan baking, I can usually look at a recipe and determine if it has potential to be a winner, but in vegan baking I have no intuition what-so-ever.  Honestly, I chose this recipe because it came from the book The Joy of Vegan Baking.  I'm not going to lie, I don't trust just any old wiki-recipe (as I like to call them) I find posted on the internet.  Basically, if it's been published in a real live book or magazine, I consider it more trustworthy.  All in all, this recipe baked up beautifully, was super moist, and all non-vegans who have tried it have LOVED it.  Here's the recipe:


Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs ground flaxseed*
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups turbinado sugar "Sugar in the Raw"**
• 2 cups whole wheat flour***
• 1 cup all purpose white flour
  
• 1/2 cup non-sweetened apple sauce
• 1 can pureed pumpkin
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 cup canola oil
  
• 1 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger (or pumpkin pie spice blend)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt (reduce to 1 tsp if using table salt)
  

 * I'm not sure if the measurement was taken before grinding flaxseeds, or after.  I measured out 3 Tbs.of whole flax seed, ground to powder in an electric coffee grinder, and used all of that.

**The original recipe in the book calls for 2 cups refined white sugar (according to the post I received the recipe from).  I went with this particular post's rendition of the original recipe, and used the 1 1/2 cups turbinado sugar.  Personally, I have a sweet tooth, and would have preferred it a tad sweeter, so if you're like me, go with the 2 cups of sugar.

***  I also used white whole wheat flour with the addition of the 1 cup all purpose white flour, as it tends to bake up better than using ALL reg. whole wheat flour.  I believe the original recipe in the book calls for the using ALL all purpose flour; the whole wheat route is simply better for you.  I figure if I'm going vegan on this, I might as well go all the way on the health scale.


Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.


Combine ground flaxseed and water in a bowl.  Stir to incorporate, and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine flax mixture, apple sauce, pumpkin, oil, vanilla, and sugar.

In another bowl, combine the flours, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Do not over mix!  This is the key to successful quick breads.

Divide into two regular 8in. loaf pans, or four mini loaf pans.  I made one loaf, and I spooned the rest into mini individual bundt cake pans.  Bake the large loaves for about 50 minutes, the smaller loaves for about 35 minutes, and something the size of a muffin for about 15 min - 20min (?).  I'm terrible with timing my baking; I tend to "eye-ball" everything I bake, as I don't blindly trust baking times, or the consistency of oven temps.  The loafs should be slightly browned, and firm to the touch, but do NOT over-bake.  Remove, and cool on wire rack.  

"I'm just doing my job, lady..." -Mr. Apple

Many people complain about fruit giving them gas, or causing diarrhea, upset stomach, and so on...but that's pretty much what fruit is supposed to do!  Any new-to-green-smoothies people out there experiencing "discomfort?"  There's a reason why...fruits are detox foods!

Excess toxins in the body have been linked to causing degenerative diseases, such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.  These toxins can also cause cellulite, GI problems, premature aging, insomnia, weight gain, fatigue, allergies, and acne.  Our body tries it's best to do it's own detoxing, but due to our switch to more processed, less natural, whole foods, we need to help our bodies out by providing the right "tolls" in aiding the body's natural detox process.

Raw fruits are the best way to aid detoxification, but raw vegetables are also detox foods, as well as other misc. foods.  One doesn't need to spend hundreds of dollars on detox programs, or supplements; all you need is go to the grocery store and load up on fruits and leafy greens!  Green smoothies, and fresh raw juices are the easiest way to incorporate aid to your body's natural detox system.  Yes, if you have not been an avid fruit eater before adding green smoothies into your diet, you will experience some GI discomfort.  Why?  Because those fruits and leafy greens are pulling years of stored wastes from your cells and body at a somewhat rapid rate through your GI track, and out your you know what!  Makes sense, eh?  So, don't stop drinking those juices and smoothies because they give you gas or diarrhea; that's exactly what they're supposed to do!  They're just doing their job, guys.

So now you're thinking I'm telling you your body's going to feel like crap for the rest of your life simply so you can "detox?"  No.  These uncomfortable symptoms will subside as your body gets cleaner.  Here are some common detox symptoms you will notice your body going through:

• Acne
• Hives
• Rashes
• Flatulence
  
• Diarrhea 
• Fever
  
• Headaches
• Night Sweats
  
• Body aches
• Fatigue
• Mood Swings
• Food Cravings
  
• Excessive phlegm, mucus, congestion
  
• Mouth Sores

As for my own personal detox period, I can definitely say I experienced some of these symptoms.  I think the first one was swollen sore gums, and swollen lymph nodes.  I haven't come across a lot of other people who have experienced swollen lymph nodes, but my lymph nodes are very sensitive, so I was not surprised.  At this time, I was not even aware my recent diet switch was detoxing my body, so I just thought I had some weird gum irritation.  It didn't occur to me until later that my gum irritation was most likely a detox symptom.  Also, my skin did break out a little, but not too bad.

I was extremely bloated for a good two weeks.  I'm not going to lie, I felt miserable.  I wasn't sure if this would subside, or not, simply because of the longevity...but it did.  Once I "deflated," I felt great!  I finally started feeling light, and like my body was processing normally throughout the day.

*Beware: TMI*  I also produced a LOT of "waste," if ya catch my drift.  My bowel movements were not necessarily more frequent, but definitely plentiful.  I thought they might stay this way, pinning the excessive waste to the high fiber in my new diet, but I now know it was due to toxin purging as my diet has not changed at all, but my present day waste amount has reduced.

I also experienced the fatigue, and tiredness, as well.  It was difficult to keep up my regular running regiment during that time.  I also slept a lot and deep!  For those of you who don't know, I have had trouble sleeping almost my whole life.  Since getting on raw foods, I am sleeping great!  It's amazing.  My sleeping has normalized to regular length now being on the downhill slope of my detox, but has continued to stay deep and sound.  I'm so jazzed about this!

Aside from all the unpleasant detox symptoms, I'm glad I pressed through them as I'm starting to feel great now.  Believe me, I've always been a skeptic about detoxing and internal body cleanses...but I'm not now.  There are suggestions on how to ease detox symptoms.  I think one of the best techniques is to keep up with your daily hygeine.  The skin is one of the biggest exits, like your GI system, for the release of the toxins.  While detoxing, make sure to shower daily, exfoliate, do not douse yourself in oils and creams, and dry brush your whole body before showering with a natural bristle body brush.

If I had to provide one piece of advice for detoxing, it would be to take detoxing slow.  If you're eating a S.A.D. diet, and you immediately go to an all raw juice detox, you're going hurt.  Try going from S.A.D. with the incorporation of raw fruits for breakfast, to Vegetarian, to Vegan, to incorporating more raw foods, and then to something more drastic such as a raw juice detox, or some other kind of full detox program.  Detoxing too much too fast can be quite a shock to the body.  Also, eat all, and only, fruits in the morning on an empty stomach up until 30 minutes before lunch.  Raw fruits are most affective at detoxing at this time, and will not ferment with other food sitting in the stomach which can cause more gas, and bloating.

A lot of Raw Food, and Green Smoothie websites have online forums where "detox" has either it's own page, or is discussed frequently.  You can find much information and support in those forums.  Here are some helpful links regarding detox, and symptoms:

• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/312332/natural_detox_symptoms_during_a_home.html?cat=2

• http://www.radicalradiance.com/2009/06/common-detox-symptoms-commentary-from.html

• http://www.healthrecipes.com/body_detox.htm

• http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/tips-for-understanding-the-difference-between-detox-symptoms-and-sickness-584849.html

•  http://www.fruitarian.com/ao/Detoxification_with_fruit_nutrition.htm

Green Monster sited in Philly!

Nolan Mills...If he only knew what was in there ;-)

Philly, PA 

(child of Justin and Kate Mills)

The Overdosed Pumpkin...and lovin' it!

Happy Halloween, guys!

Love, 

the Green Smoothie Overdosed Pumpkin

Yay for Halloween!  This is by far my favorite time of year!  Steven and I had fun with this guy last night.  Since his "body" was naturally leaning, I figured I'd make him a little "sick."  I know you can't tell, but those drips are a greenish paint...Green Smoothie!  He marked his spot on the front porch last night, lookin' fine, I must say.

Halloween day will be filled to max with activities for me this year.  My mom's birthday is Halloween, I have my first 5 mile race debut that morning, my sister and bro-in-law will be in town from CO, and I'm sure we'll hit up some festivities later that evening!  I'm really excited about the race.  I got a 4 miler in this past weekend with some friends, so that really helped boost my confidence that I'll be all good for the 5 miles.  I've done 5 mile runs a couple times before, but I haven't done one in a while.  I felt great after the 4 miles, and am planning on doing a 5 miler this weekend.

As for raw vegan updates, I have decided I need more iron in my diet.  Yes, I eat the hell out of leafy greens, but I'm not sure that's cutting it for the amount my body's telling me I need.  At whole foods I found a RAW vegan natural iron supplement!  SO excited, as I've heard synthetic iron can cause nausea, and doesn't have the best reputation for absorption.  The raw vegan iron supplements I bought smell exactly like broccoli and other veggies, so I know there's something good going on in that capsule.  I've been taking them for 3 days now, and I feel awesome!  I've also added Spirulina to my green smoothies in the morning, which has a decent iron amount, as well.  I was dragging a bit on my runs the past couple weeks, and I'm pretty sure it was from low iron levels.  Back on my S.A.D. diet, I used to eat Malt-o-Meal before my runs simply because it was fortified with iron.  I don't know why I didn't make this "iron connection" between my two diets sooner?!

The most interesting observation, still, about my raw vegan diet has been this overwhelming sense of satisfaction!"  No.  More.  Cravings.!  It's weird.  I mean, you still have your natural habits of eating;.  For example, I have to end every meal with something sweet, like a bite of dark chocolate, but before I would need a whole 2 scoop sundae, or eat a whole bag of chips, or something extreme like that.  I used to eat massive amounts of food at night until totally disgustion.  I don't have the desire to do that anymore.  I'm still so shocked at this all the time.

I'm not craving any S.A.D. food, either.  All the raw vegan substitutes for the foods I would miss have been completely awesome.  I must say, I do have a slice of whole wheat multi-grain leavened bread with my dinner about every other day, so that's helped with the bread craving.  I've also had cheese pizza with Steven about 3 times since the beginning of all this raw vegan stuff.  I don't have a problem with these little "cheating" episodes whatsoever.  I consider my dinner to be "let loose" on the raw vegan stuff at dinner (this is where I'll cook my veggies, and eat cooked whole grains), but I still never bring animal flesh or dairy into the mix...except for those cheese pizza incidents.  Cheese pizza does make me extremely constipated the next day, so believe me, I pay my price for cheating.  My diet is still primarily 98% raw vegan/cooked vegan, so I'm pleased. 

Man, I can't stop eating these kale chips!  They are definitely a new favorite for me.  Dang, they're good!

The best "Doritos" for your heart and taste buds

Ingredients:

• 1-2 cup raw cashews
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbs. raw sesame seeds
• 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Tamari, or soy sauce, or Nama Shoyu
• 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. paprika (smoked paprika if you have it)
• 3/4 - 1 tsp. kosher salt
• dash of onion and garlic powders (optional)
• 1 bunch curly kale

Instructions:
Blend all ingredients (except kale) in the blender.  Blend on high until smooth and creamy.  You can use the raw, or non-raw, versions of all these ingredients according to your food lifestyle.  Also, the spices are "to taste," so measure accordingly.  The nutritional yeast and paprika are imperative for a "cheesy" flavor.  I ran out of paprika on my second batch, and they lacked the cheese flavor, but we're still great.   You can buy nutritional yeast at your local health food store.

You need a LARGE bowl to mix the "cheeze" sauce into the kale.  Make sure you kale has been de-stemmed, washed, and torn into bite size chip-like pieces.  For mixing, I put down a layer of kale, then poured sauce over it, then another layer of kale, then sauce, and etc.  This helps to evenly distribute the sauce.  Thoroughly mix the sauce into the kale pieces, and lay out onto dehydrator sheets.  I have a 4 tray dehydrator, and I had to remove two of the trays due to the fluffy height of the kale.  Dehydrate at 105 degrees for at least 10 hours, or until crispy and dry.  Your house will smell like peanut butter and cheese crackers; oddly neither of those things are in the recipe, nor do the chips taste like peanut butter. 


These kale chips are awesome!  Raw vegan, or not, you will love these!  I can't wait to give some to my father, and Steven liked them, too.  What a great way to eat such a nutritionally dense leafy green!

Thanks Andi for reminding me to make these,
Claire to the Bear

"Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm 64?"

Heck yes!  But, we'll stick with 56, for now... Happy Birthday, Dad!  As you can see, we started this party off nicely with wine, cards, loved ones, and a non-raw homemade by me German Chocolate Cake (my dad's favorite).  Steven and I had a great time with my folks Saturday evening...

Me and Steven.  One day we'll get a good picture of us together...

"Vavoom," as well call him! (Great action shot, here!)

Happy birthday, Dad.  I love you!

Claire

Coconut Lemon Bars

Yum!  These are great, and so easy to make.  Seriously, raw food can be so simple, it's ridiculous.  I got this recipe from Carmella's blog , which she got from Ani Phyo . 

Raw Coconut Lemon Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 1/2 cups pitted dried dates (I used Medjool)
• splash of vanilla extract (or seeds of a vanilla bean if you have one)
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• Zest of one lemon (don't use the white pith)
• 2 1/2 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup dried shredded coconut

Assembly:

Before hand, trace the bottom of a 9X9 square baking pan onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper.  Cut out, and place in bottom of pan.  You could also line the pan with plastic wrap.

In a food processor, chop almonds into small pieces.  Next, add the remaining ingredients to the almonds in the processor, and pulse until well combined and forms a moist dough.

Evenly press mixture into 9X9 pan, and chill in the refrigerator/freezer 'till firm, but not frozen.  Loosen edges with a knife, and invert onto cutting board.  Cut into bars.  Should make roughly 12 bars, or so.

Whatcha been smokin', Jill?

Hemp!

(Hemp Seed can be bought at Whole Foods, Central Market, and many other natural food stores.  The picture above is the exact brand hemp seed I bought at CentralMarket)

Protein, protein, protein...it's Ms. Jill's favorite word!  Jill is one of my e-friends I met at Runner's World's online community "The Loop."  As you can imagine, runners love their protein, and it's going to be hard to convince one they don't need as much as traditionally believed.  Who knows, maybe I'm wrong, or maybe they're wrong?  All that matters is...if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!  Well, you know, take that with a grain of salt in regards to some ideas ;-)  On my run this morning, I noticed my legs muscles were weak.  I started thinking about protein, and if my lack of having as much protein in my diet as of recently was the explanation for this.  Honestly, I don't think it is; I think it's a result of "taking it easiER" the past two weeks by only running flat ground and for short distance due to a hip flexor strain.  My hip flexor is better, so I'm incorporating hills back in my running.  Obviously, my legs muscles atrophied a tad from the lack of hill strength training, so they're feeling a little weak.  Who knows, maybe it's the diet, and maybe it's not.  As of right now, I'm adhering to this perspective on "protein" here .

The point being...lately when I think of the role protein plays in my diet as an active person, I immediately think of Jill since she's been following both my new running and new raw food lives.  Jill hearts protein!  She's been such a sport about about trying out the green smoothies, but noted she's been putting protein powders in them.  So, after my run this morning, I decided to make a post-run "raw" vegan hemp protein shake with Jill in mind.

Hemp seed/nut is an amazing little food.  It is one of the few plant complete proteins, and is dang tasty, too!  What about soy?  Well, soy has a bad reputation for possibly causing thyroid problems, breast cancer, early dementia, and for being a high mucus producer.  As always, you will find a flip side to most every argument, so until they decide hemp's going to kill us, too, I'm gonna to eat it.  Unfortunately, hemp can not be legally grown in the US, but can be imported from certain countries like Cananda.  Now, I'm not sure about this, but I think imported hemp seed must be "treated" before entering the U.S....even though some raw food sites state they have "raw" hemp seed, or "raw" hemp powder, I'm not sure how accurate that affirmation is.  I'll do some more researching on that.  Anyway, here's a tasty post-workout EASY vegan (maybe could be raw?) hemp protein shake just for you, Jill!

 Chocolate Hemp Shake

• 2 Tbs. shelled hemp seed (11g protein, Jill!)
• 1 tsp. dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut (optional, but good)
• 1 cup cold water
• 4 dried dates (you can use Agave, honey, or whatever sweetener you have on hand)
  
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder (raw cacao powder, if you have it)

Procedure:  Throw it all in the blender, and go for it!  Blend on slow, working your way up to the highest setting, and blend for about a minute until all hemp seed and dates are totally combined, creamy, and like milk (fyi, blending hemp seed with water is how you make hemp milk).  At this point, you could add a banana, if you like.  If choosing to add the coconut, you will need to blend on high for little bit longer so those shreds become no more.  Hemp seeds will blend completely with no need for straining, as they are very small and soft.  If you'd like, you could use a little less water, and throw a few ice cubes in the mix.  You can also soak your dates before hand for easier blending, as well).

Hemp is very nutty tasting.  It's also great sprinkled on salads, cereals, and sauteed veggies.  Enjoy! 

There ya go, Jill!  11 grams of complete protein all in a small 1 cup serving.

New Converts!

Jennifer and Reese Barnhart...Changing their names to Jennifer and Reese "GREENheart!"

Dallas, TX

If baby Reese can be a "big girl," so can YOU!

Keep 'em coming, guys!

CC

Yes, I really put that in there...

Irish moss.  This has been by far the most bizarre ingredient I have bought to date.  When I told my mom about it, she said, "Irish moss?  That's what I planted in along the pathway in the back yard last spring..."  Ha!  At that point, I knew I was obviously on the right track with this raw-vegan ingredient.  Although, what I bought was not the same "Irish Moss" my mom had planted, but one from the sea, instead.  Chondrus Crispus, also called "Irish Moss" or "Carrageen Moss," is a species of red algae which grows along the rocky Atlantic coasts of both Europe and North America.  What you really need to know is that once soaked, Irish Moss is virtually orderless, colorless, tasteless, and used as a raw-vegan substitute to animal gelatin.  Didn't know gelatin was an animal product?  Well, yes, it is.  Gelatin is derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones.  Ever boiled a chicken carcass to make chicken stock, put in the fridge, and then discover it's turned into chicken stock jell-o?  Yep, that's the basis of gelatin.

At any rate, I have been WAY pumped about experimenting with this little jewel of an ingredient.  Fortunately, it's Jim-dawg's big 46th birthday this Saturday, so I finally had a reason to make a pie so I can use the Irish Moss.  I just couldn't wait 'till Saturday, though, so I decided to embrace the "birthday week" theme, and grace him with a raw vegan coconut cream pie.  The cool thing about raw "baking" is that there's not as mush science to the ingredients as there is in regular baking.  In raw "baking" you basically make something taste great, and then choose a way to thicken it.  Lecithin, Irish Moss, Coconut Oil, and avocados are usually used to achieve a pie-like texture.  Irish Moss was my choice this time around.  I know it looks scary, but give it a shot!  I promise it does NOT taste or smell like anything. 

 Preparing Irish Moss

FYI, I simply followed the directions on the bag.  Here I've taken a handful (I should have weighed it, but I didn't), soaked it in water, "massaged" the moss to release the sand/salt/whatever is on it off, dump that water, covered it with clean water again, and repeated this process about three times throughout a 14 hour period.  Once it's soaked that long, the moss will have swollen, become transparent, and pliable.    

 

At this point, the moss is ready to use.  If using it immediately, you can use it as is by blending it THOROUGHLY in the food processor with the wet ingredients of your recipe. 

As for me, I was not ready to use it immediately so I opted for the "storing route."  To do this, simply put the soaked moss in your food processor with a little bit of water, and blend thoroughly until it forms a loose gel.

 

Store the gel in a container, and place in the fridge until ready to use.  Once refrigerated, it will become very stiff and jello-like.  When ready to use, simply scoop out the desired amount and blend with the wet ingredients of your recipe. 

 

There you have it!  Irish Moss!  It was so exciting to prepare (yes, I'm that big of a foodie dork)!  As for how much to use, that depends on your recipe.  I used half this container (which was a small plastic container that sandwich meat comes in), and it was not quite enough, as I would have liked my pie to be stiffer.  It takes more than I thought.

Have fun with Irish Moss!  It can be used to make puddings, cakes, ice creams, pies, etc. 

"How's it going, Claire?"

What have I been seeing through Claire colored lenses?  Well, let me update ya...

As you know, food choices and experimentation had been quite the focus for the past two month, especially the last month.  As of this week, I have been at least a 75% raw vegetarian for a month, 99% vegan for at least two weeks or more (I had cheese pizza with Steven one night), and I feel GREAT.  Here are some observations I made thus far:

• Transitioning to vegetarianism was a cake-walk for me.  Not hard at all.  It was so easy to simply cut animal flesh from my diet. 

• Transitioning to veganisim was a little harder than vegetarianism, but not bad at all.  There were a couple hills I had to climb in making this switch.  One of them was cutting out my beloved Activia yogurt.  This was not a taste concern, but a health concern.  I'm waaaaay in touch with my bowels, and if they don't regularly move once a day, I'm screwed with chronic constipation.  Not fun.  I knew the inclusion of enzyme rich raw foods alone would help my GI issues, but I was still nervous....then the light came.  Stupid Claire, here, didn't realize one could take probiotics in capsule form!  Hell yeah!  After doing a little research, I headed over to the our local natural foods store, For Goodness Sake, and picked up a bottle of acidophilus bacillus probiotics, and am doing fabulous down "south."  Mission accomplished!  My other fear of veganisim was cutting out ice cream....AHHHHHH!  I'm addicted to ice cream!  Since I love to be in the kitchen, and don't mind tackling odd ingredients, I have found many various raw vegan "ice kream" recipes that suffice just fine for me.  Mission accomplished, again.  Milk, you ask?  No sweat; I haven't been drinking cow's milk for quite some time, now.  I was drinking soy milk, but soy's got a bad rap, so I've had to switch to nut mylk which is awesome, too, so I'm fine in that department.  Cheese?  Yeah, I love it, but it makes me miserably constipated, and I had already cut it from my previous diet.  Cutting out things I crave is hard; cutting things I just like is not.  Even though I really like cheese, I never crave it.  I'm sure there are times I have unknowingly cheated on in veganism, but you know, I could give a rat's ass about that. 
  

• Raw foods.  When you take a diet like raw veganism, un-raw veganism seems like a cake-walk.  Honestly, going raw is not really that difficult.  It's actually very easy to be 75% raw vegan, also known as "raw 'till dinner."  I have a green smoothie for breakfast, fresh fruit snacking 'till lunch, then a salad w/ raw vegan dressing for lunch with some dehydrated "baked" crackers, chocolate nut mylk for something sweet afterward (or whatever other kind of yummy raw dessert I have on hand), I'm usually good 'till 5pm, maybe snack on a dried fruit/mixed nut trail mix, Lara Bar, or some homemade raw concoction of mine, then I eat about a 50% raw 100% vegan dinner, and if Steven's there for dinner, I'll include a cooked chicken breast for him.  See?  Not hard.

• How do you feel?  FANTASTIC!  Weirdest thing...food cravings are gone.  I've noticed I don't have these spur-of-the-moment uncontrollable random food cravings anymore.  Raw foodists say that's because I'm finally eating nutritionally loaded food that's satisfying the void my S.A.D. diet wasn't fulfilling.  It's totally weird.  As many of you know, I'm a BIG eater, and was afraid I'd be left hungry on a vegan diet.  Before my detoxing period was over, I was not completely "fulfilled" by my vegan switch.  Once my detox started subsiding, I become totally satisfied by my vegan diet.  I am full, satisfied, but not bloated and disgusted.  It's awesome...but, I can't eat as much as I used to; Steven says he can sense my sadness about losing my previous astronomical eating ability ;-)   My sleep has improved.  In fact, I've had to cut down on my sleeping med dose, or not take it at all, due to falling in to a sleep coma with it!  I've been on OTC sleeping meds for over 10 years and struggled to sleep well even while taking them; last night I didn't take one and slept great.  My skin is almost void of rosacia symptoms.  I can honestly say I've just been all around happier!  I physically feel "lighter," and have yet to have seen a decline in my running ability, or frequency.  I feel aware, energized, clean, and healthy.  The one vitamin supplement I am taking is B12, as this seems to be the only vitamin red meat provides that can't be found in a significant amount in a vegan source.   I have not felt deprived in any way since eating this way.
  

• What do you eat?  Like carrott sticks and nuts?  Hell no!  I eat raw vegan versions of ice cream, cookies, pies, cakes, chocolate, etc.  I have awesome salads with creamy dressings and tons of variety.  Wraps, sandwiches, soups, avocados, marinated veggies, fruits, and the list of endless possibilities goes on.  I'm not counting calories whatsoever, per Natalia Rose's advice; I'm just going with what my body reasonably tells me I want/need.  I will say, once you properly detox and continue to eat this way, the foods your crave definitely change towards the food style you've been eating. 

• Have you lost weight?  The only time I'm weighed on a scale is at a doctor's office.  I don't believe in weighing myself religously; instead, I go by the way my clothes fit, the way I look in photos, and simply changes in my body I notice throughout the day.  I have lost a little weight.  I can tell simply by looking in the mirror, certain tight jeans aren't tight anymore, and the excess weight I do have "sits" differently on me now.  Granted, I don't have a lot of excess weight to lose, in my opinion...maybe 10lbs, or so?  The raw foods diet is suppossed to get your weight to where it naturally should be.  I don't think I'm too far from that, so I'm not expecting drastic changes. 

•  How are your family, friends, and Steven dealing with this?  Well, mixed emotions, actually.  Steven is a total God-send here.  This is why I love this guy.  He is so supportive, accepting, patient, and willing to take part in some aspects of this food experience.  No, I'm not making him what I eat, but he's interested in trying all the different raw vegan creations I make.  He likes greens smoothies, he loves veggies of all kinds, and has liked all my sweet raw vegan creations, thus far.  Remember, I'm a foodie, so I'm not going to ask anyone to try something that doesn't taste good.  If it's not palatable, I'M not going to eat it, much less ask someone else to.  Dinners are my meals to let a little loose, so we meet half way all the time.  My folks are pretty much cool with it, but I am sensing a little animosity from my mom.  In the Cunningham family (myself, included), we all think we've got the right answers; we're stubborn and proud.  This raw veganism thing wasn't her answer, so it'll take her a while to get her pride down. 
  

• "Breaking up is hard to do..."  My two worst food habits I had to break up with were Splenda and CoffeeMate.  Splenda was only mentally hard to break up with.  We've been taught for so long that sugar's terrible for us, and to use artificial non-calorie sweeteners instead.  I just knew I was going to blow up like a pig when I went back to real sugar sources (raw sugar sources in particular)!  But, I haven't.  The best thing about breaking up with Splenda is I no longer have these freak-out sugar cravings.  I believe my body is finally getting the amount of sugar it wants, and is finally satisfied.  CoffeeMate?  CoffeeMate, oh how I miss thee; let me count the ways!  You are so creamy, and make my coffee taste like candy, and even though you are nothing but hydrogenated oils, I still want you.  I must stay strong against your temptation.  I have, and I will!  Break-up woes in regards to the raw aspect?  Yeast risen baked bread...me miss you.