Viva Las Vegan

Jayson was, er, "sick" today, and we celebrated having a lovely, crisp sunny day together by riding our bikes to Las Vegan in Collingwood for lunch. I've been meaning to visit Las Vegan since I moved to Melbourne, but somehow it has never been convenient (they're only open for lunch Tues-Fri). An entirely vegan cafe, featuring an assortment of yummy meals and baked goods - how fantastic! Actually Smith St. in Collingwood is kind of a vegan heaven, because it is also home to Friends of the Earth, Organic Wholefoods, Soulfood Cafe, and a vegan shoe store. Why don't we have all of this in Brunswick (though in all fairness we do have an Organic Wholefoods and the Radical Grocery, but I'm holding out for a vegan cafe)?

The cafe is lovingly decorated and offers an assortment of lunch options, including calzones, soups, salads, and heartier meals. Jayson had the "chili non-carne" on rice with salad, and I had a lentil patty on a beautiful bed of salad. We both had some room left so we took home some muffins (chocolate orange and carrot). Somehow it felt like the ride was uphill both ways. What's up with that?

As I sit here writing this, I am drinking a pot of gorgeous "plum pudding" tea (a lovely Christmas gift from my lovely former housemate Jackie) and eating my vegan carrot muffin. Totally un-raw, I know. But that's part of what I want to talk about today, and where this review of sorts is heading. I mostly write about raw food recipes on this blog, and I LOVE raw foods and how they taste and make me feel, but I do not eat 100% raw food in my life. I have gone through periods when I did, and I probably will be at that place again. But right now, that just doesn't work for me for reasons both practical and emotional.

I've been reading Kevin Gianni's new ebook "High Raw" lately and I have found that his advice is fantastic. His first principle for following a high raw lifestyle is to "think like a raw fooder," which means to build a foundation by which I'm eating approximately 75% raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. When I have this foundation, I don't have to stress over an urge to eat, say, a vegan carrot muffin. Because sometimes I do have these urges, and I think stressing out about them is the worst thing I can do! Either eat the muffin and love it, or don't eat and and eat something else instead, but either way don't stress.

By the way, I have tried to make raw muffins but haven't been satisfied with the results. I'm not sure this is the kind of thing that is really going to translate well into a raw form. But I'm open to ideas.

In conclusion, if you love healthy vegan food with lots of raw ingredients and happen to be in Melbourne, visit Las Vegan. And if you're at all interested in optimising your health and feeling great every day without stressing over it, read Kevin Gianni's "High Raw" immediately!

Simple Simple

A simple but delicious lunch of juicy persimmons

I got really sick last week! I came home from my Wednesday night shift, got into bed and started shivering. It wasn't even a cold night. I couldn't stop shaking for over an hour, even after covering myself with layers of clothing and blankets. I spent the next 2 days in bed with a fever.

I had been working without a single full day off for about a month, not getting regular exercise and my diet was kind of erratic. For several days leading up to my illness I was eating calorie dense foods - a lot of nuts and raw desserts, as well as some cooked food. My stress levels were high and I wasn't allowing for any release through relaxation or exercise. Is it any wonder that my body reacted by overheating and then shutting down?

The cure was SIMPLE, however. I just stopped eating and rested! I drank water at first, adding in juice as my appetite began to return. Then I moved on to some simple vegetable soup. I slept a lot, and went for some short walks as my strength returned. Within two days I was feeling pretty great.

The lesson I learned, which I'd like to share with you, is this: keep your raw food simple! Raw desserts are great, but they should be treats for special occasions. I am now focusing on designing a daily way of eating that incorporates fresh juice, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, greens, and lots of water and herbal tea. I personally have a tendency to forget that the above is the basis of a happy, healthy diet and go overboard with the raw sweets and gourmet recipes. Yes, these are raw, but they are really dense and hard to digest and shouldn't be eaten every day.

The other lesson is to give myself time off to play and relax! So I have now adjusted my work schedule so that I have one full day off every week. And that day happens to be Sunday, which is a day off for Jayson as well, so we can spend the day together having fun. This past Sunday we went bushwalking in a kind of eerie feeling gorge near Bacchus Marsh.

My question today is, what do you do to remind yourself to "keep it simple?" And what do you do to relax?

A little bit of unbaking

I've been working like a fiend lately - full time at one restaurant, casual at another, and a 2-day-a-week temp job in a government office. Needless to say I haven't had much time to spend in the kitchen, and the spare time I have had has mostly been spent sitting on the couch in a daze or sleeping. But I finally had a few quality hours to myself on Wednesday morning, and I decided that what I needed to do more than anything else was make cookies!

I had a hankering for good old fashioned oatmeal cookies - I suppose I was really craving something wintery and comforting. I used to make an amazing oatmeal raisin spice cookie in my pre-raw days, but despite their tastiness they were loaded with butter and sugar and flour. Not the best way to coax nutrition out of the remarkable little oat! So I set off to find something that would satisfy my cravings and give my body lots of energy.

I found a great recipe in Heathy's Just Desserts ebook (which, by the way, is incredible - this girl really knows what she's doing with raw desserts - I've made a couple of the cakes and they are spectacular). Just looking at the photo had me longing to curl up on a couch with a plateful of these babies, a mug of warm almond milk and a good book. So I ran out and bought the ingredients, as well as lots of fruits and veggies for juices and salads (a girl can't live on cookies alone!). Arriving home, I made myself a giant green juice and got to work on my cookies.

A tempting bowl of raw oatmeal raisin spice cookies, perfect with a cuppa and a good book.

There were quite a few steps involved in these cookies, but it was definitely worth it. Basically, it involved mixing a lot of wet ingredients in a food processor, grinding nuts and oat groats, and then stirring it all together with raisins. I guess that's actually not any more steps than is involved in making traditional cookies, come to think of it. I added extra spices - nutmeg, allspice, clove and cardomom - to the original cinnamon because I just love a spicy cookie. I had them in the dehydrator by early afternoon, and ate warm cookies for breakfast in the morning! I also ate a lot of batter along the way. And I'm not the only one who was eagerly licking the bowls:

Bazza, my kitchen companion and bowl-licker extraordinaire.

I had enough extra batter to make a batch of Heathy's Super Granola Bars. The base was the same as the oatmeal raisin cookies, but to these I also added goji berries, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped dried apricots and dried coconut. Heathy's recipe called for cacao nibs, but I left these out as I feel that I already consume enough cacao in hot chocolates and desserts. I spread the batter out on a teflex sheet in my annoyingly round-shaped dehydrator, and when they were finished cut them into wedges. They are a perfect, filling snack, and easy to take on the go. I found that eating just one before work kept me feeling satisfied for hours, so I've actually individually wrapped the rest so that I can grab one and throw it in my purse for emergency munchie situations (seriously - when working in hospitality, these do occur regularly, and it's good to have a yummy raw snack on hand so I'm not tempted by less healthy foods).

How gorgeous are these babies?

Super yummalicious granola bars to keep the munchies at bay.

The only question now is what kind of cookies should I make next?

Inspiration: Golden Canneloni and Carrot-Butternut Soup

Inspired raw dinner!

I have been doubly inspired lately. First, by the glorious wisdom of nature, bestowing me with a garden and farmer's market full of beautiful, seasonal fruits and vegetables. And second, by the creative genius of all the wonderful raw chefs around the world who share their creations so graciously via the web! This desire to give, this sense of abundance at the very heart of the raw food movement is exactly what I love about it. The more we eat natural foods prepared with love, the more we appreciate the gift of such foods, the more energetic and grateful we feel, and the more we want to share our passion and creativity with others. It's a big cycle that I am so happy to be a part of.

So today's inspiration comes, firstly, from golden zucchinis and pumpkins in the garden. I've had lots of fun playing with both of these gorgeous fruits this autumn, but I'll admit I was starting to feel a little bit bored of them. Then I saw Matthew Kenney's drool-worthy Golden and Green Canneloni over at G Living and, viola, I was suddenly excited about golden zucchini again! What a miracle to have such special fruit growing in my own backyard! I didn't really follow Matthew's recipe, just kind of took his general idea and ran with it, using whatever I had on hand to make my own version. This was a pinch-dash-handful-drizzle kind of recipe, no measurements as such: a few slices of mandolined golden zucchini for the canneloni shell, layered with thick slices of luscious farmer's market tomatoes, a simple pesto of basil and rocket from the garden pulsed with a handful of walnuts, a bit of garlic, pinch of salt and drizzle of walnut oil, and an impromptu cheese made with cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a dash of water. Here's the result, which was oohed and aahed over and then gobbled up hungrily by J and myself:

Golden Canneloni: inspiration from the garden and Matthew Kenney

With the canneloni we also enjoyed a nice big green salad with rocket and ruby chard from the garden, a bottle of quite drinkable but ultimately immemorable red (I think it was Shiraz Grenache Viognier?) from Organic Vignerons Australia, and a couple of little mugs of my spiced-up version of Pumpkin Pie in a Bowl from Gina at Choosing Raw. Gina's recipe combines carrot juice, butternut, avocado, stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg for a sweet, creamy bowl of yumminess. I prefer my soup a bit more savory so I added some turmeric, a bit more himalayan salt, and a nice big pinch of cayenne (and then another pinch of cayenne). It was pretty spicy, and very orange. Definitely a big beta carotene kick!

Sweet and Spicy Carrot-Butternut Soup

So happy to be inspired again! C'mon nature and raw chefs of the world, what are you gonna throw at me next?

Thoughts about Cancer Research

After reading Gina Kolata's recent New York Times article on the continuing search for a cancer cure, I wanted to throw my hands up in the air in frustration. Apparently Barack Obama has pledged increased funding for cancer research over the next few years in the hope of finding a cure for the disease. He is, of course, just the latest in a line of leaders who optimistically encourage us to think that if we keep on the current track of scientific research, this plague of the modern world will be eradicated.

Noble intentions, certainly. But as Kolata points out, hundreds of billions of dollars have already been poured in this type of research with only the slightest drop in cancer deaths over the past 55 years. And here's the thing: most of the more innovative research never gets funded, because of its riskiness compared to research that will make tiny, incremental advances. A lot of what is being funded is basically drugs and treatments that will keep cancers at bay, maybe give patients a little bit longer to live.

I'm not saying that any of this is bad. It's fantastic that there are doctors and researchers out there trying to improve the prognosis for cancer patients. And how wonderful that some government money is going to health research. But I just think the entire system is approaching this disease from the wrong angle. I know I don't have a medical background, so I'm only saying this from my own perspective. But doesn't it seem like more than a coincidence that the rise in cancer coincides with an increase in processed food consumption, increased industrial activity, and the use of chemicals in our homes? I mean, how obvious can it get?

I think this is a disease that is going to be slow to eradicate, and I say that because I think what is required is a fundamental shift in the way we live. We're just exposed to so many carcinogens in our modern world, and really the obvious solution is to remove as many of these toxins from our environments as possible. Eating non-processed, organic, plant-based foods, using natural cleaning and beauty products, drinking the best water we can get, and keeping our minds positive will go a long way towards stopping this disease in its tracks. There are stories of people who have "cured" their cancers with juice feasts, affirmations, or ever laughter! I wonder how much research money is looking at these sorts of possibilities?

But the problem here is that the research money seems to be looking for more of a quick-fix - a drug or treatment regimen that will "cure" cancer in an individual patient. Yes, I understand this desire. Like most people in this world, I'm no stranger to friends and family who have struggled through - or died from - cancer. It's scary, and I like to think that should I receive such a diagnosis, I can be cured. But I'm not convinced that this sort of research is the best approach. And cancer drugs and treatments can have so many side effects - after all, it's not just the cancerous cells that are affected by pharmaceuticals and radiation.

These are just my thoughts on the subject - I have no medical background and really know very little about the topic. And I certainly wouldn't tell any of my loved ones to ignore a doctor's recommended treatments and use entirely alternative approaches - though in all honesty if I received such a diagnosis myself you can be sure that I would research every single alternative/complementary option before trying anything that conventional medicine has to offer. I would be really curious and grateful to anyone who has any more information on this topic and would like to share to leave a comment - I think this is a really important discussion.

A Few Reasons to Love Winter

Someone must have been playing a big joke when the universe ordained that I be born on a cold, gray January day in cold, gray Hartford, Connecticut - insurance capital of the Western world. Ha ha, very funny. The truth is, I'm not a big fan of winter. I start shivering just about the time when we turn back the clocks, and can't get rid of that bone-knocking chill until it begins staying light well into the evening again.

For a girl who grew up in New England, escape was the only answer. Yet somehow I still manage to find myself in cold climates. I know, Australia is supposed to be warm, but not Melbourne! I might yet make the move to the tropics, but for now I have to face facts and learn to embrace winter. There are actually many things to love about the colder months, and I've compiled a little list as an exercise to psyche myself up for the blustery days ahead.

1. Hot chocolate. Need I say more? There's nothing like curling up with a big mug of spiced hot chocolate and a good book. It's a great way to pass...

2. Evenings by the fire. Okay, so my old single-front worker's cottage doesn't have a real fireplace, but there's still something cozy about huddling in the lounge room with my partner and my dog, electric fireplace ablaze, all of us reading or watching movies or typing away on our laptops (dog excluded - he's more likely to be sticking his snout on the keyboard, angling for a pat). It's a snuggler's paradise.

3. Hot baths. I love a good soak in the tub, complete with essential oils to relax my mind and candles to set the mood. I like to follow an evening bath with a cup of chamomile for ultimate relaxation.

4. Soup. So simple, so satisfying. Sometimes in winter my body cries out for a warm meal, and soup just does the trick. One thing I've learned on my raw journey is to take it slow and listen to my body, so if my body says, "Cooked foods, please!" then a big bowl of homemade soup is my answer. And if I want to keep it raw - preserve all those lovely enzymes - I simply heat it slowly over a low flame until it reaches baby bottle temperature, or leave it a bit longer in the blender until it gets warm. I love making a pumpkin soup using veggies and herbs from the garden, and I am dying to try this Butternut Squash Coconut Soup from Raw Epicurean.

5. Cups of tea. I drink herbals teas constantly year-round, but in winter they're all the more appealing. Peppermint, rooibos, green tea, lemongrass, sage, ginger, chamomile, and on and on. I can't get enough. For my birthday, my amazingly insightful mother gave me a book about herbs called 2009 Herbal Almanac and I can't wait to read more and vary my tea regimen accordingly.

6. That crisp, clean feeling in the air. I associate it with falling leaves, jack-o-lanterns, hayrides, and apple picking. You can't take the New England out of the girl! We don't have all the appropriate accoutrements of autumn here in Melbourne - it even comes at the wrong time of year! But we do still have lovely crisp mornings, those first days of sweater-wearing and digging out of hats and mittens from the depths of the closet. And it is a relief to know it's never going to get cold enough for me to wear my deep-winter jackets from back home.

7. Red wine. I spent 2 1/2 years living in South Australia, land of shiraz, so I learned to love a hearty red. And you just can't drink them on hot summer days. So bring on winter, and with it a nice drop o' red. These days I try to splash out with moderation, and I prefer to drink something organic and preservative free - if I'm avoiding nasty chemicals in my food, why on earth would I want to drink them in concentrated form in my booze? My favorites at the moment are Kalleske from the Barossa Valley and Seresin Estate from Marlborough. Yum.

That's a good start towards get me feeling a little more positive about the cold days to come, and I am actually feeling kind of warm inside now! Time to go do a little yoga practice to stoke the internal fire.

Please share your favorite things about winter via comments...I am needing all the encouragement I can get!

Fun with Figs: five ways to enjoy my favorite fruit

This post is so late in coming! I've been obsessing over figs over the past few months, and sadly they are no longer on offer at my local farmer's market. But I have spied a few juicy specimens hanging from some of my neighbors' trees, and there's nothing like a fresh fig sneakily plucked from over the fence. If they're still available where you live, enjoy my suggestions on ideas to jazz up these perfect gems. If not, enjoy my homage to my favorite fruit, and let it be an inspiration to you for next fig season (the only good thing about the end of fig season is that it means it's almost time for persimmon season). With no further ado, I give you my meditation on figs.

I’m a cook (or un-cook), so what I’m about to say is a little bit hard for me. I’d like to suggest that there are some foods out there that are already perfect just they way they are, and can’t be improved upon through kitchen tampering. I’ve come to this decision after many attempts to write an article about my favorite fruit, figs. They’ve just come into season in Victoria, and I can’t get enough. But each time I buy or pick some ripe, juicy specimens to bring home and experiment with, I encounter the same problem. They never make it home. I just can’t help myself – I love fresh figs so much that I always eat them all straight away! I can’t think of any preparation I can do that could possibly improve upon the pure pleasure of a fresh fig. So you know what? I give in. Mother Nature, you win. You are the ultimate chef, and with the fig you’ve created the perfectly balanced food.

That being said, I feel that I’d be letting you dear readers down if I didn’t at least try to conceive of a few ways to dress up your figs. So while I don’t expect any of my inventions to rival those of my muse and culinary hero, Nature, they are still worth a try for a little variation, particularly if you happen to be one of those lucky folks with a fig tree in your backyard (if this is you, please invite me over! I can offer zucchinis, pumpkins, rocket or lemons in trade). Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to blend, dehydrate, or otherwise adulterate your perfect figs. The recipes are only ideas, playful flavor combinations. If you feel inspired, have fun with them - if you can get your figs home without eating them all!

1. Fresh figs au natural (courtesy of Mother Nature)

Eat them right off the tree, sun-warmed. Best recipe ever, though I can’t take credit for it!

2. Fresh figs with pistachio mousse

16 fresh figs
1 large, very ripe avocado
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp light agave
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup raw pistachios, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dark agave or raw honey
Freshly ground black pepper

Cut figs into quarters from the top downward, leaving the base intact. Arrange on a platter.

Combine avocado, vanilla extract, light agave, salt and water in a food processor, and whir until smooth. Add 1/2 cup chopped pistachios and pulse until well combined.

Place a dollop of mousse in a the center of each fig. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped pistachios and drizzle with dark agave or honey.

Variations: Replace the vanilla extract with rosewater. Decorate the plate with edible rose petals.

3. Watercress, pickled onion, fig and candied walnut salad

For the pickled onions:
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp agave
large pinch himalayan salt

combine and marinate at least 8 hours at room temperature

For the candied walnuts:
1 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp agave
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon

Toss walnuts with agave, oil and cinnamon. Spread on teflex sheet and dehydrate for 2 hours.

For the vinaigrette:
2 T apple cider vinegar
¼ cup walnut oil
1 T agave
¼ t salt
grind of fresh black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients, or combine in food processor.

For assembly:
1 bunch watercress, stems removed
1 head endive, sliced thinly
12 fresh figs, cut into quarters

Mix watercress and endive together and arrange in a large bowl or platter. Top with pickled onions and fresh figs. Sprinkle nuts over top. Drizzle with vinaigrette, toss lightly, and serve.

4. Fig, Almond and Cream Parfait

A bunch of figs
A handful of raw almonds, roughly chopped
Your favorite raw whipped cream recipe

Cut figs into quarters. In parfait dishes (I use old-fashioned champagne glasses for great presentation) layer a dollop of whipped cream, chopped figs, chopped almonds. Repeat with as many layers as you like.

5. Red Fruit Salad with Spiced Floral Syrup

A bunch of figs
A handful of red grapes
A few little blood plums
Seeds from ½ a pomegranate
A few dried figs

Syrup:
2 Tbsp Agave
Juice of 1 lemon
Dash of rosewater
Dash of vanilla extract
1 tsp minced fresh lavender, or 1 drop lavender oil
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cardamom

Cut figs into quarters, grapes into halves, and blood plums into quarters. Remove seeds from ½ pomegranate. Chop dried figs into slivers. Arrange all fruit in a bowl.

Combine syrup ingredients in a bowl and whisk by hand. Drizzle over fruit salad and let marinate for 1 hour before serving.