the fun never ends...

An older couple was sampling my food, finding delight in it then said, "Oh this is raw food! Our son lives in CA and took us to a raw restaurant. The food is unbelievable!" How cool is that? Cool old couple from VT!

Another woman came by and said, "I don't know about this food. Raw Vegan?" She tried the chilli first and said, "Oh this is good!" Then said, "I'm going to have to try the eggless egg salad next. ... Oh, aren't you clever! Now I'm going to have to try the Not Tuna. ... This is really, really good! I'm so surprised! I'm going to come back to try your fudge in a minute." She came back to try the fudge and said, "You're really onto something, aren't you?" Love it.

I *LOVE* seeing the faces of people as they approach the table particularly with the furrowed brows. They think everything is tofu based if it's vegan. "Nope," I say. "I don't use tofu or tempeh or TVP." I'd love to have more and more people try this food - it's sooooo awesome to see their faces as they try the food. Obviously people have their favorites and I hear what they like. Oh but the fudge rules! It blows me away and I make it and eat it all the time. This was so much fun to me and there's plenty of opportunity for more!

So this is going to be a long newsletter (I've got the urge to write). Check out my calendar pages for the haps, ok? Sign up for a class, a workshop or a raw food challenge so that you can learn to blow yourself away with food. I have a RAWsome thanksgiving class scheduled for this Friday from 5-9 pm. Contact me now if you are interested please: 223-2111.

check out my blog about meat eating and vegan foods.

Some interesting reads

I've been thinking a lot about cancer these past couple weeks since I heard about my friend. This past week she went from being heavily-medicated to try to help her with pain to undergoing radiation to try to shrink the tumor in her leg so that she wouldn't have to take the pain meds. I remember from my mom's experience, which was different, but she had a stage IV cancer that was given a 2 year prognosis after all treatment was exhausted. She began chemo therapy and the tumor in her lung was shrinking but something happened that cause her great pain. If I remember correctly, the doctors thought that the tumor was pushing on a nerve causing pain in her arm so they elected to have radiation to try to shrink the tumor in her lung further. But 2 consequences occurred - 1.) with a rapid growing cancer that is metastasized throughout her body, electing to do radiation meant that it would focus treatment to just one area and thus the other cancer could continue to spread rapidly in other areas and 2.) after you do radiation, you can't go back to chemo for a year or two. Now, this was 12 years ago and I have no idea what is the case these days. I certainly have no idea of all of my friend's circumstances but hearing that they decided to go the radiation route instead of the chemo route meant the prognosis seems pretty bad to me. I could be totally incorrect here and I hope I am but it is certainly making me think and remember a lot.

I have been checking this crazy sexy cancer blog and really finding it well-written. In the past 12 years, I'm loving to find people who have lived with and through cancer and it's treatments, both traditional and alternative. I haven't seen this woman's crazy sexy cancer documentary but her trailer brings me to tears each time I see it. I still learn many lessons from people with cancer. Here was a bit of an interesting entry a few days ago:

Thursday, November 1, 2007 - http://crazysexycancer.blogspot.com/
Got Mucus? 

"So Thanksgiving is coming up, you may go home and visit your mom, when you arrive and need a snack will you latch on and suckle? EW!!!! When we look at nature do we see animals nursing beyond their youth? The answer is no. Also, do you see a gorilla milking a rabbit? A deer suckling a tiger? Nope. Breast milk of any kind is intended for the specific species and it is only for the early stages of life during the baby's biggest growth spurt. Cow's milk grows a 90 pound calf into a 2000 pound cow over the course of 2 years. And we wonder why we're overweight!

"Here's a good factoid: We need the lactase enzyme to digest lactose but between the ages of 18 months and 4 years we lose 90-95% of that enzyme. So basically we are all pretty much lactose intolerant. But it's MUCH bigger than that and it's quite simple too. Dairy products are disease producing. High protein diets (dairy and animal meat) create a highly acidic state in the body (remember we're all about the pH and alkalinity), dairy load us up with mucus, stops up our colons and creates an environment for cancer cells to thrive in.

"But where will I get my calcium Kris? Dairy ain't the place loves! Moo juice actually leaches calcium from your body. Check this out, the countries with the highest consumption of dairy also have soaring rates of osteoporosis. Are ya connecting the dots? Milk is also one of the most common causes of food allergies and congestion (mucus) and high cholesterol. Got milk? No thanks. I get my abundant amounts of calicum from leafy greens like kale, collards, cabbage, kelp, mustard greens, seaweeds, sesame seeds (the best source), chickpeas, broccoli, watercress, raw nuts and lots of other plant friends. No stress on the body, mind, colon or environment. How nice!

"We have been led to believe that milk is an essential part of good health. In reality, dairy milk contributes to the overall breakdown of our systems. If you really can’t see yourself giving up milk and meat, at least choose the best quality. Raw foodies advocate the use of raw (unpasteurized) goat’s milk as an alternative to cow’s milk because it doesn't have casein, it’s much easier to digest and it is closer to the consistency of human milk. You can also wean yourself off cow’s milk with rice, oat, almond, or soy (in moderation, I'm not a big advocate) as well. Meat should be organic, grass fed, and consumed in SMALL portions that are properly combined. It's a hard thing to digest and take way more time so don't gum it up with a potato. Picture it as a side dish next to loads of veggies and a big salad. The American Dietetic Association came up with a good visual: The average serving of meat, it says, should be to the size of a deck of cards. Not a football or shingle. Capiche?

....

"On more factoid and off ya go: Dr. T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University (my guru) teaches that one of the biggest causes cancer is a diet that is higher than 10 percent animal protein! Americans eat way more than that. He estimates that “80% to 90% of all cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other degenerative illness can be prevented, at least until very old age, simply by adopting a plant-based diet. WOW!"

I read this today and thought it was so good, I wanted to include a lot of it here. I've never met this Kris person but I'm very moved by her story. As I've written previously, my mom died of cancer 12 years ago. She was an anomaly at the time. She wasn't a smoker and never worked in a factory and yet she had non-small cell cancer of the lung. The time from her diagnosis to her death was 10 months. I had a big education to see what the traditional route of treatment was a decade + ago. I know that advances are always being made and I also want to say that I'm grateful for hospitals and modern medicine. However and while things are changing, I also see that a lot of traditional medicine seems to be geared towards treating symptoms. I went to a naturopath once a couple years back who put it this way when I asked her why she switched from "regular" med school to becoming a naturopath. She said that while studying and interning she compared medical treatment to mopping a floor from a leaky faucet. Eventually the sink fills up and spills over and she saw the doctors treatment akin to people with mops trying to clean up the spills to the floor. Never really getting to trying to see what is causing the leak. Interesting analogy and one that stuck with me, I guess.

If you remember from other posts, in the 10 months that my mom was doing the cancer treatment, my neighbor of 22 years (dear friend's dad) was experiencing the end stages of diabetes. While my mom had cancer growing in her body (her eyes, her brain, her lymph nodes, her bones), my neighbor was going out in parts. Losing eyesight, losing limbs, losing function in organs. Each lesson brought many gifts, grace and much beauty despite the major suffering. As well, I have the examples in my immediate and extended family history: obesity, digestive problems, diabetes, thyroid problems, heart problems, hormonal dysfunctions, etc. Lots of things that I'd like to stay away from. Anyway, I got to this place with raw food where I said, "Well, if I were diagnosed with cancer, I'd definitely do something drastic like go raw." (Isn't that an interesting thought? Why was eating more fresh fruits and veggies considered "drastic" in my head?) And then this other voice inside me said, "Why are you waiting for a disease to happen to start eating better and taking better care of yourself?"

I gave myself 10 years to get to 100% raw and I really did it in 5 (very slowly and gradually - I had a lot of trepidation with regards to raw food) and/but I should say that I'm not a purist. I also still have many opportunities to watch myself - be the observer of my thoughts and behaviors as it relates with food & emotions. I've lost about 160 pounds in my life and I mean that I've gained and lost 50-60 pounds 3 times in my life. I'm very familiar with the yo-yo diets. At one point, when I was a TV-watcher, I felt like Oprah and I were on the same diet curve! :-) With some things (like starches), I have an addictive personality. Many things pop up and I suspect they always will - it's just how we deal with them as we become more aware. It's not like you cross a hurdle and that's it. It's a journey: a life to live. The fun never ends. :-)

I guess I'm saying all of this to put it out there that I'm still on this journey.  One that I definitely need to put out there and not hide from. Of course there are times of struggles, grief and sorrows. But many times of great joys, feelings of unbelievable bliss and eternal gratitude. I'm always seeking tools & support for myself and likewise am very happy and honored to provide tools & support to others. I have many teachers and there's always more to experience and learn, isn't there. I love all of this and I thank you for your open eyes, your open ears and your open heart.

Thank you for reading. 

upcoming raw food haps

see my complete calendar here

Check out raw chilli, raw crackers, raw fudge and raw not tuna at L.A.C.E. in Barre and the Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier.

Still writing on my new blog. Feel free to post your comments. http://lindasblog.vt-fiddle.com/ - I've been updating on my friend that I wrote about last week as well as other things on my mind...

Raw Food Samples at Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier this Saturday from 11 am - 3 pm - Please stop by and try a sample! I will be very smiley and happy to see you.

On Wednesday, November 14th, I'm scheduled to do a 1-hour workshop from 6-7pm at the Hunger Mountain Coop. I'm doing Tapenade Stuffed Mushrooms - MMM-mmm... Again, something to get your tastebuds humming for the holidays.

A Thanksgiving recipe class is scheduled for Friday, Nov 16th from 5 - 9 pm in the Burlington area. You'll learn and eat:

• un-turkey loaf
• cranberry relish
• 2 kinds of mashed “potatoes”
• apple stuffing with gravy
• candied cornucopia of nuts
• cottage pie
• pumpkin pie with sweet cream dolloped on top

Cost of class is $115. Please call me to register at 223-2111 or email me. Pre-registration is necessary.

Something fun to watch

Wanted to send this. It's from this documentary thing that I saw with Matt this weekend. Totally awesome and showed to me the importance of really enjoying life and loving what you do. It's hip-hop and it's not for everyone but I *totally* loved it. It brought me back home.

raw food recipe of the week

Typically I put in recipes that are seasonal to try to encourage all of us to eat more seasonally but today I wanted to put in this recipe because I thought, "wouldn't it be great to change one thing this week that is eaten so much in the typical diet." Here is a ketchup recipe that I adapted from several that I've seen. I make these kinds of switches a lot with my kids. I make raw marinara sauce and put it over their rice pasta. We actually don't use ketchup anymore in this house but certainly at restaurants it's there and certainly it's in nearly everyone's cupboards and fridges.

Ingredients

• 1 cup roma tomatoes
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 hour
• 2 cloves garlic (from your garden or CSA)
• 1-2 Tbsp Bragg's apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (start with one and add to your taste)
• 1 small yellow or white onion (left over from your garden or CSA)
• 1 Tbsp dried italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup agave (can be substituted with local, raw honey or maple syrup which isn't raw)
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or local sunflower oil)
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (mine comes from Maine)
• 2 tsp dried ginger (optional)

Preparation

Throw all ingredients into the VitaMix and blend. If it's too thick, add small bits of water to get it to ketchup consistency. If it's too thin, add more sun-dried tomatoes to thicken. Lasts ~ 2 weeks when refrigerated.

Enjoy life,

Linda