this raw week...

Greetings and raw salutations! Hoping this email finds you well and happy. If not, start eating more raw food!

;-)

Lots happening this week and next so I'll just get on with it.

First things first: Check out this month's Onion Skin  - the newsletter for Burlington's City Market/Onion River Coop. You can download the pdf here. (This link will download the pdf immediately.) If you'd rather, go to the homepage: http://www.citymarket.coop and then on the right side of the page, about 1/4 way down, you'll see a link for "Jan 2007 Onion Skin" which is under "Store Flyers." Those of you on dial-up might prefer to go to the store to pick it up yourself. I'll post it up on my website, too. The majority of the newsletter was devoted to fermentation so I was asked if I wanted to participate in this one (or wait for a future newsletter.) Fermenting is so wonderful so I wanted to be a part of this one. I'm on page 7 of this 16-page newsletter and page 6 has some great info regarding why fermenting is so good, so check it out dudes! If you actually do go into the market, you'll find there'll be a drawing for a free DATE NUT TORTE from me! (see picture attached below) Woo-hoo! Get in there and go to the Member Services Kiosk to enter your name.

I spent a few hours today with the Hungry Families buying club that has been out of Woodbury until this month! Nessa Rothstein started up the buying club with friends and since a majority of the people who purchase with this group actually live in Worcester, we thought it would be great to have the buying club deliver here! The first delivery was today and it was great, as most buying clubs are. It's a once-a-month thing and people split cases so that helps with cost. There's a strong focus for local stuff including dairy products, honey, cheese, and produce so it might be something to consider. I tend to purchase my bulk nuts/seeds/grains through the buying clubs as it works out to be MUCH cheaper than going to a store... If you are interested in this, please contact me off-list and I'll get you information. The next order is due to Nessa on Jan 28th.

Also should mention that the Local Food Order through the Tree of Life in Montpelier is happening on the 18th. Contact Peter Clark for more info about this buying club: peterclark@juno.com

The RAW FOOD POTLUCK is this Thursday, January 11th from 6:30 - 8:30. Location is 18 Worcester Village Rd in Worcester. Please let me know if you are coming so I am sure I'll have enough chairs. Bring a dish to share along with a plate/utensils with which to eat. 

Sunday, Jan 14th from 1-2 pm is the Chocolate Turtle Candy recipe (raw of course) workshop at Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier. Please go there to sign up for this. The chocolate turtle candy is goooooooood! I'll have a couple varieties there to nibble on. Cost of the workshop is $10 for members and $12 for non-members.  Hope to see you there! Here's their calendar page, and here's my calendar page

And so far I have 2 sign ups for Alissa's Level 1 class on Friday, January 19th which goes from 3-8 pm. Please call me if you would like to attend to learn about quick, easy recipes that we will make and eat right then and there! Level 2 occurs on the following Saturday & Sunday. Call to register: 223-2111. click here for more info

Part 2 of Alissa's appearance on the Tyra Bank's Show for those of you with televisions... I just received word from Alissa's peeps that part 2 of Alissa's appearance on the Tyra Bank's show is to air January 17th! I was told the following: The Tyra Bank's Show is run on the Fox network. To find station numbers and air times for your area, please check your local listing. Some areas air her show twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon (the new episodes usually air in the afternoon). You can also find air times and stations from Tyra's website: www.tyrashow.warnerbros.com - I'll record this and will loan it out if anyone is interested...

So that was a little more than a week so I think I'll stop there. 

Since it's frequently asked, "what did you eat today?" I thought I'd let you know what I've eaten so far today. I'm still eating all raw and even though it's not a usual winter thus far here in VT, we've had some cold days/nights. I'm feeling great, healthy and energized. 
10 am-ish: smoothie that I shared with Matt consisting of: 1 pear, 2 oranges, 4 bananas and some raw cacao
2 pm: had one of those raw Kombucha drinks (gingerade - YUM!)  that my friend turned me on to. I bought a case of them through the buying club and they also sell them at the coops.  
3:30 pm: had some raw chilli with some raw crackers that I made on Sunday. (I still make the good majority of our food for the week on Sunday, just like in my cooked world days.) drank 1 liter+ of water and a ate couple of dried mangos just a little bit ago. TIP: if you have fruit as part of your meal, eat your fruit first. Also try not to eat too much dried stuff if you can manage it... not to worry in the beginning while you transition, unless you are experiencing some health problems... What's in the chilli: carrots, celery, leeks, olive oil, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, avocado, red pepper, and some spices. I also make a FABULOUS chilli with sprouted barley but this one is also very good & quick. The crackers are made from leftover veggies and pate's that I throw together. 

Not sure what is for dinner and right now I'm not hungry at all. I made a TON of pesto today so I'm thinking that I'll be bringing some pesto stuffed mushrooms for the potluck. But lately, I've been digging fruit for dinner. Matt's been making some WONDERFUL fruit salads and that's been a joy to eat. I'll include the pesto stuffed mushroom recipe and the fruit salad recipe, too, since it's on my mind.

Hope to see you on the 11th! Again, please let me know if you are coming so I can make sure I have enough seating for everyone. Let me know if kids will be coming.

Take good care,
Linda


date nut torte - YUM!!!

RECIPE TIME

PESTO STUFFED MUSHROOMS

(from Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food book)

18-22 button mushrooms, washed and stemmed (Linda's Note: I use portobello mushroom caps, about 4-6 of them)

Stuffing:
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pine nuts (Linda's note: pine nuts are great for cheesy taste/texture to lots of raw food recipes. they are so darned expensive so substitute if you'd like with sunflower seeds...)
2 cups basil (Linda's note: I use what I have so sometimes it's 1 cup and sometimes it's 2 - it tastes great no matter what)
1/2 cup olive oil (Linda's note: I never use this much oil, just enough to keep the food processor turning, a couple table spoons)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon gray, celtic sea salt

1) Place mushroom caps top side down on a plate. (Linda's note: I put it directly on the dehydrator sheet)
2) Blend all stuffing ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
3) Scoop a small amount of stuffing into each mushroom cap
4) Dehydrate at 105º for 5-6 hours, or until soft. (Linda's note: usually around 4 hours, this is ready for me. It depends on the moisture in your house and time of year, etc. Pesto freezes very well so if you make this when basil actually grows here, you can freeze it and use it throughout the summer, fall AND winter)

MATT'S KILLER FRUIT SALAD

2 or so pears, doesn't really matter what kind
2 or so apples, fuji are super, but this is up to you
2 or so oranges
4 bananas
juice of a lemon and/or lime
shredded coconut
raw agave syrup (optional)
chopped walnuts (optional)

Wash the fruit and chop. (Linda's Note: Pulse chop very quickly using your food processor for the ingredients if you don't want to chop by hand.) No need to peel the pears or apples (please peel the bananas.) You can add any fruit to this that you want - add some kiwi. Chop up different kinds of apples and pears for different sweetnesses/textures. You can make the salad as big or as small as you'd like.  Chop the bananas and put in the bowl. Squeeze some lemon, not only for the flavor but to preserve the fruit. Squeeze a teaspoon or two of agave over top if you'd like but this isn't necessary. The fruit is sweet enough. Add a couple tablespoons of shredded coconut and a few tablespoons of chopped walnuts. Mix with a spoon and let sit. This is a wonderful salad to eat any time during the day. (Linda's Note: For those worried about food combining, don't add the walnuts or the coconut and add an avocado if you'd like. Feel free to add a bit of cucumber or zucchini when in season for a lovely addition. This lasts up to 1-2 days in the fridge but it usually doesn't last that long because it's so tasty. Best to eat fruit as fresh as you can and not let it oxidize for too long.) Enjoy! This serves about 2-4 or so depending on how hungry you are.