Meat, Potatoes, Sushi, Ladles

Days 5, 6 and 7 - One raw meal a day experiment

I grew up in a "meat and potatoes' kind of household.  There were eleven of us all together, eight children, two parents, and always a dog.  We did not have elaborately prepared gourmet meals.  We did not eat out much that I can remember.  And we did not experience world cuisine.  Even if my mom had tried, I'm sure she would have been booed out of the kitchen, complained to and most definitely been given the eye-rolling, teeth-sucking treatment.  Nope, the closest we got to ethnic food was the occasional Chinese food takeout, Polish Kielbasa, and more often than not, my mom's delicious Italian-inspired pasta sauce with, of course, lots of meatballs and sausages.   And until we all got older and one or another of us was "scheduled" to play a sport or some such thing, we all ate dinner together.  (A tradition I plan on handing down to my children because in addition to the quality of the food put on the table, sharing meals and connecting at the end of the day is one of the most important things we can do for our children).

Anyhow, having grown up (sort of) and developed a broader love and understanding of food, I am excited by the mere thought of trying something new, and even more excited about the potential health benefits I may reap.  I love that I can share my knowledge and love of food with my children and give them the opportunities I may have missed growing up.

Here are a few snippets of our ethnic raw food journey these past few days...

Morning Sun Juice (Indian-spired)

Bliss is how I would describe our first taste of "Morning Sun" juice - recipe inspired from 'Living Raw Food', by Sarma Melngailis and owner of One Lucky Duck in NYC.  Jack, in particular, loved this bright sunshiny yellow juice - yellow happens to be his favorite color.

Recipe

• 4 oranges
• 1 apple
• 1 inch nob of fresh ginger
• 5 large chunks of pineapple
• A splash of coconut milk to taste

Raw Vegan Sushi (A Japanese delicacy)

So, so good.  Thanks to Arielle Hayes of Hayes Design Studios, for being such a good friend and good raw food chef!  It was the perfect lunch on a busy day - tasty, satisfying and filling.  Sushi always does it for me with it's diverse nutrient content soaring in number, my body craves very little after this meal.

Recipe

• Avocado
• peeled and seeded cucumber sliced long
• carrots sliced long
• pea shoots
• sauerkraut
• dehydrated shitaake marinated in garlic and aminos
• red bell pepper
• Nori Sheets

Raw Kombucha Tea (believed to have originated in Russia during the late 19th century)  Just started a new batch today!

Kombucha culture is a living thing that is put into sweet tea to ferment and convert it into a lovely sparkling Kombucha tea.  The health benefits are many, but include:  detoxification, improved digestion,  full of healthy bacteria/probiotics, increases energy, high in polyphenols, high in antioxidants, energy booster and much more.  Ladle it out and enjoy the tea!

Recipe

This is my favorite recipe for Kombucha:  http://nourishingfoodways.wordpress.com/2011/06/29/flavored-kombucha-how-to-make-your-favorites-at-home/

Here are some more articles about the health benefits of Kombucha:

http://www.foodrenegade.com/kombucha-health-benefits/
http://www.kombu.de/val-gwf.htm
http://www.gaiaresearch.co.za/kombucha.html
http://www.gokombucha.com/health_benefits.html

So, as I continue on this journey and explore adding more raw foods, I get to feel good, experience new foods and transform my understanding, at a cellular level, of why raw foods are so important to my diet and my life.

As for my mom, she called yesterday to ask, for my sister supposedly ;), what miso is.  I had just sent out my free monthly newsletter with a  miso soup recipe in it.  (click here to sign up for my newsletter)  Goodbye just meat and potatoes, hello WORLD!!

Broaden your horizons.

Be inspired.  Eat well.  Live well.  Be happy.

Love, Patti