Raw Cheeze

I checked out this amazing book from the library the other day, and I never want to take it back.

I read through it like a novel the first day. And today I tried my first recipe. I was in the mood for some sort of spread or pate. I have never made a raw cheeze before, but I certainly will be doing it again! I found the recipe for Italian Pizza Cheeze and saw that I had all the ingredients. I cut the recipe by 1/4, because I only had 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts, but that's okay, because the recipe is for four servings. I used my little baby food processor that I bought years ago for making baby food. Man, I love that thing! It really comes in handy sometimes.

I picked the basil off my plant, and threw in some fresh oregano for fun. And man, was it garlicky! My breath is going to reek for a while, but it was totally worth it.

I chose to eat this with Triscuit crackers. For one thing, it was pretty much all I had in the cupboard. For another, as far as processed crackers go, Triscuits aren't that bad. They only have a few ingredients, and no sugar or HFCS. I would rather have used a raw cracker, but I didn't have any made. Whatever. It was delicious.


I could have blended it longer to make it more creamy, but I was getting really hungry. And it didn't matter. As it was, it reminded me of ricotta cheese. How can blending up some nuts and lemon juice and herbs taste like cheese? I don't know. It is magical. And unbelievably healthy. And fabulously delicious.

I need to buy more nuts!!

Seriously considering another raw food fast, but for a week this time. All I need to do is be prepared, and organized (ah, that sounds so easy!), and I can eat tons of good food without being hungry.

Tonight, a raw banana split, made with frozen banana chocolate "ice cream."

It's so much fun I could burst!

Giveaway!

You must check out this blog, it's very cool. Although it's not always vegan, I still follow it. She likes to post food that is sugar free, gluten free, and dairy free. She is also awesome because she is giving away some really cool stuff. I like that, as you know. Right now she is offering some really wonderful ingredients that I could do some great things with. Small tapioca pearls, organic cashews, chia seeds, and liquid stevia.

I have been meaning to get me some chia seeds. I have heard they are really nutritious and make a great addition to lots of recipes, including puddings.

I really wish that I had access to some young coconuts. They are almost impossible to find around here, and I really can't afford to order them online. I could make so many raw recipes, and I could use them in smoothies, or just eat them raw and get all the nutritional benefits.

The name of the blog is The Spunky Coconut. That's what made me think of coconuts. It wasn't totally random.

Holy Heat Index

Yesterday was unbelievable. The temperature was around 90 degrees and the humidity was off the charts. Thankfully, I have no life and therefor sat in my AC-cooled house all day. Except the time I had to run to the store for a few things...walking out the door felt like stepping into an oven; a wet, steamy oven. It was hard to breathe. I knew that I did not want to cook anything, and especially did not want to use my oven.

I looked up salad recipes for a while, trying to decide what I wanted. I found a few recipes, and decided to wing it and make my own. I used quinoa, because it's awesome, and I haven't cooked any for a long time. In it I threw some of my favorite things: broccoli, red pepper, green onion, garbanzo beans, and diced avocado. For the dressing I just threw together a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and Mrs. Dash.

The result? It was okay. I think it needed more dressing. It was a little bit blah. But I am going to keep working on it.

I ate this salad outside. Then I had to come back in. When I walked in the house, it felt like a refrigerator in here compared to the outdoors.

I'm sure there are people (like Tonya from Texas) who think this heat is nothing. I don't care. I would rather be inside than trying to breathe and function without passing out in that kind of tropical weather.

Today, however, is a different story. The humidity passed with the storm we had last night. I am heading out now to read a book in the shade and eat some fresh pineapple.