Raw Food Week

Yes, you read that right. It is Raw Food Week here at pricklygirl headquarters. I know, it seems crazy. But hear me out...

I've been vegan for a little over a year, a vegetarian for about two years before that. Lately, I've found myself rationalizing. A lot. Nutter Butters? Vegan. Oreos, too. The occasional scoop of ice cream? Close enough. I don't want to waste Paul's leftover Cocoa Crisps, so if I just skim the milk off... Obviously my standards have been bent. And even when I've been strict, my eating habits have not been all that hot. Breakfast and lunch? Several giant soy cappucinos. Several meaning a minimum of three, sometimes five. And by giant, I mean giant. This is frequently the only thing I consume before 3:00pm. Not a nutrition powerhouse, but hey, soy milk is good for you, right?

This winter I found some really cool books about raw food, chief among them, Ani Phyo's "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen". These books got me thinking -- it wasn't so hard to go vegan (easier than the switch to vegetarian had been) -- so why not go one step further? When I first mentioned the idea of going raw, Charles response, in a word, was "NO". Then he hit the accelerator. End of discussion. Thank goodness for libraries. I found "Ani's Raw Kitchen" at my library and brought it home. Left it out on the table. Charles noticed. "You didn't tell me about the hot Asian chick." Suddenly, he's a little more open to raw food. (Sidenote: She has a website, too.)

I'm on Day 3 of Raw Food Week (full disclosure: I am still having 1-2 espressos each day. I am not a masochist and everyone will be happier if I stay stable.) I'm the only one in the house doing it full-time: Charles has bread, soy mayo, a little cheese. The kids are eating pretty much what they always eat, but I am aware that I'm giving everyone more vegetables than normal. We're eating good stuff: gazpacho (lots of garlic), Asian cabbage slaw with apples, ginger, and almonds (and lots of garlic), nuts, chopped salads, dried fruits, lots and lots of vegetables (and garlic). I feel surprisingly good -- occasionally a little lightheaded, but a few apricots or nuts usually do the trick. The one thing I've been jonesing for is chocolate. Well, thanks to the cookbook, I'm able to fix that problem, too....

Mexican Chocolate Mylkshake

(This is based on Ani Phyo's recipe for Chocolate Mylk. I am not good at following recipes and think -- especially with raw food -- that experimentation way more fun than following rules.)

1/2 c. almonds
1/3 c. pitted dates

4 tbs. bittersweet cocoa powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. chipotle chili cocoa powder

2 c. water

ice cubes

Put everything but the ice in the blender and blend at high speed until very smooth (you don't want mealy almond crumbs -- yuck.) Add the ice and whip until thick and smooth. If you're not a spicy person, forgo the chili powder, but it's a nice kick.

Yum yum yum. So good that I couldn't wait to take the photo before scarfing it down. I have no self-control.

What to do with the bounty?

We're at that point in summer where the vegetables are so plentiful and so good that there's a little overload. What to do?Why, minestrone, of course! This recipe from the New York Times is a great starting point. You can use pretty much any vegetable you have on hand (I'm making it with zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, sunchokes, carrots, celery, garlic and onions, plus basil, thyme, oregano...) And you can forgo the Parmesan rind if say, you're a vegan or some sort of freak. (Like me.)

What to do with 50 tomatoes...

* Slice. Season. Eat.
* Chop. Make into salsa. Eat.
* Chop. Stew for several hours to make marinara. Eat.
* Slice. Make vegan pizza with pesto. Eat.
* Eat.
* Eat.
* Eat.
* Eat.

Did I mention that we got some peaches, too?

What to do with all those strawberries?

We picked up a pint of strawberries this weekend at the Cheverly Community Market, got another pint in our Clagett Farm share and picked about three pounds at the farm on Saturday. So...what to do with all those strawberries?

Yes, yes. Eat them. Good for you, literal one. Head of the class.

Now, for those of you who want to do something with else with the strawberries...

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake with Soy Cream

(Measurements are approximate, as I made this Maggie, and three-year olds don't subscribe to any laws of measuring. Or physics. Laws in general, really.)

2+ lbs. strawberries, cleaned, hulled and cut into quarters
1/4 c. granulated sugar (more or less, depending on the sweetness of the berries)

1 package silken tofu
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
1 tbs. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 tbs. fresh mint, julienned
1 tbs. fresh lavender flowers

Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the strawberries and stir. Set aside and allow the strawberries and sugar to work their magic and make a syrup.

Put the silken tofu in a mixer and mix at high speed, about 2-3 minutes. Clean the sides of the bowl frequently so that all the tofu is mixed and very smooth. When the tofu is about the consistency of a thin pudding, add the confectioner's sugar and beat until Incorporated. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat, then the fresh herbs. Chill.

You can use any (vegan) biscuit recipe with this (maybe avoid one with sugar, since there's already a lot here.) I prefer the biscuits from the vegan biscuits & gravy recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance (okay, I had some already made up.) When I made them, I used a shot glass to cut them into small rounds, and that's a perfect size for this recipe. Yes. A shot glass. Many uses, many uses.

For each serving, open three biscuits on a plate and spoon strawberries with some syrup over the top. Spoon some tofu, then finish with a few more strawberries (no syrup!) If you really wanted to be fancy, you could add some lavender or mint leaves to the top. That's pretty fancy, though.