Raw du Jour

This week happened to be a week full of yummy raw dinner dates!  It was fairly coincidental that I had 3 night of back to back raw meals, but it was certainly delicious.  Besides when the weather is gloriously hot and fruit and veggies are fresh and fabulous, why bother cooking?   I have eaten plenty of non-raw food this week too, but I figured I’d pick a theme.  And I must thank all my friends for being patient with me while I photographed my food and yours, rockstars!

This post has a double theme: raw food and flowers. I was pretty much beside myself in this amazing week of sunny summer weather, and  I snapped some shots of random flora and fauna around the city, so I thought I would stick them in the post too.

Just since being back I have had the pleasure of seeing several of my favorite bloggers, Katherine, Liz (VeggieGirl) and Dori.

Tuesday night Gena came over for dinner on the roof deck.  I have to say, I get ridiculously nervous about cooking/uncooking for people, even though I love it to death.  I scour recipes, plan plan plan, and give myself hours before the dinner bell to prepare it. Last time I made dinner for Gena I was panicked for days, fortunately it turned out pretty well.   This is the first time I have made dinner for Gena since Choosing Raw went live, so I had a better idea of her tastes and fortunately, Gena loves the simple things foods in life.  So it was much less nerve racking.  In fact, Monday night something came up and I didn’t have time to prep anything, so everything you see below took 45 minutes from absolute start to finish.  I was super nervous as I raced home from work, but I was reassured by the fact that Rachael Ray could turn out 1.5 complete and cooked meals in that time.

So on to the food.  Sorry for the messy bowls, things shifted a lot on the way from my apt. to the roof.

DIY Romaine lettuce wraps with snow pea shoots, bell pepper, cuc, carrot and cabbage

Served with salsa and Gena’s Favorite Guac, she was kind enough to give me a guac demo—best guac ever!

And a yummy beet, avocado, snow pea shoot, arugula salad based closely on this recipe.   I highly recommend this combo and the dressing was light simple and delicious—I only used 1/3 the EVOO and added a splash of BV.   This delicious looking compressed summer berry salad was my second choice, and I plan to try it soon.

Raw corn and celery soup—sans onion and garlic for gena, but I did throw some onion on top of my own bowl.

My plate

And the view

Just some shots of my lunch hour stroll down 5th to let you digest before my next meal

Meal #3—lunch at desk

I actually ate my lunch at my desk, beet, snow pea shoot, fig and cucumber over argula with a bit of goat cheese.  yum

Meal #3  Dinner at Pure Food and Wine

My college roommate and dear friend Laura and I decided to catch up and we happened to both be thinking: PURE!

You guys are probably bored of Pure, but here we go…

Sadly, the garden was full, this is the fourth time in a row I haven’t been able to sit in the garden.    wah wah wah, i guess I will try try again!

Despite sitting inside, which gave us tons of privacy, since inside was empty, the meal was super yum

My very favorite pure food, the spicy Thai lettuce wraps with tamarind dipping sauce—split with Laura.

For my entree, I ordered the Zucchini Fettuccine with Basil Crema and Red Pepper Bruschetta with spicy pumpkin seeds, basil sprouts, Styrian pumpkin seed oil.  This was actually an appetizer, but rich and big enough for a meal on its own.

Laura got her fav the Zucchini and Local Hothouse Tomato Lasagna

We also split the Trio of Dark Chocolate Coated Indian Spiced Ice Cream Treats, which I had been dying to try.  It was delicious, but of course, I left so full!

Interlude of Madison Square Park before meal #4

On Thursday, my friend Derek and I decided to catch up while chilling in one of my favorite places, Madison Square Park!  I hadn’t been there all summer, so I was dying to give it a big hug and kiss hello.  For a park dead center in the middle of Flatiron, I always find it to be a nice tranquil respite between Union Square and Herald Square.

Meal #4  Bonobos

After a nice chat and some bench sitting, we decided to get dinner.  I have been hearing so many raves about Bonobos that I had to check it out, and I figured the esteemed and venerable Shake Shack would please Derek.  However, he wanted to try Bonobos.  I was only there once about three years ago and wasn’t blown out of the water, so I was a little worried that Bonobos was not a jaw-dropping, life changing   raw food experience every novice diner should be fortunate enough to have; however, Derek would not be dissuaded.  Fortunately, the B-staff was extremely helpful and attentive, so I knew we were in good hands.

He got nori rolls with sesame pate and a soup, which is clearly carrot or pumpkin.  He said they were very good, but the soup would have been better hot…lol

I got the nori rolls also with the walnut veggie nutmeat, cabbage, cucumber, carrot, beet and sprouts.   YUM!  VERY Filling, i wasn’t hungry for hours. And I love the nice salad that comes with the meal.

And after hearing Diana’s enthusiastic endorsement of the now famous Coconut Chai, I could not help but get us a bottle to split.

We both thought it was very good.  I am actually not a coconut lover, so it was a bit too much for me, but it did have a great comfort food feel and I liked the mild sweet and spiciness.

After dinner, I said good bye to Derek and went to meet a friend for drinks.  We decided to go to a place I have been very curious about since it opened four years ago.  Japonais.

To be fair, I am curious about anything that opens in the Irving Place vicinity, but Japonais in particular, since the ambience and decor is so chic, sleek and expansive for the area.  The vibe is super sexy, which I must admit, I love.  I don’t know how I have never been there, but the menu never particularly appealed to me, so I have walked passed it noting I should check it about at least fifty times.

Getting drinks there was the perfect way to experience the restaurant.  It is nice to sit at the bar and check out the scene and vibe.  The drink menu was actually three menus, one happy hour tasting which is from 5-11PM Mon-Fri! A summer cocktail menu.  And there regular wine and cocktail menu, which like Pure, includes plenty of lighter, sake-based cocktails.  Overall Japonais was cool to check out and I would definitely go back for drinks, and probably even dinner.  It’s kind of pricey—drinks are around $13-15, but sadly, I am pretty used to that at this point.

TTYL Bloggies.  Have a great weekend.

Post-cleanse: clean and simple

First, I want to say that this has been the best week ever!  Yankees game, Beam Green, drinks with girlfriends, and an awesome weekend funfest line up, woo-hoo! While sometimes having plans every night during the week can be draining, this week, I have been in a fabulous mood regardless of whatever life’s little stressors have thrown at me.  Sorry for the delay in part two of my cleanse experience, I have been getting home after 11 and had to write a statement of purpose for school, but at least I have had time to reflect a bit more!

So why did I mention all this mood stuff?  I think one of the things I didn’t really touch on in my last post was that in April I hadn’t been feeling like myself.  Mainly my mood, I have never been a moody person, I don’t generally get too worked up about things, and I certainly can’t stay angry for more than a hot minute, so my general feelings of crankiness and blah, were kind of concerning.  I know that the stress of finals and craziness at work were contributing, but I also felt that my diet was also connected.  I felt that what I was putting into my body had to be influencing what I was putting out into the world. So getting rid of some of the junk weighing me down was a big goal. 

So day 1 post cleanse!

Sunday morning I woke up, got my workout on and hopped in the shower.  I had plans for most of the morning and afternoon, but fortunately, on Saturday, I did a little planning and prep for my return to solids.

As I mentioned last time, the worst part of my first cleanse was not properly coming off it, I really felt crappy for the next few days and totally lethargic.  However, just as blueprint’s cleanse is dummy proof, they also provide a great plan for breaking the juice feast.  The plan they gave had a sample day one, mostly fruit, with salad and avocado as well. The second day the emphasis was on greens.   Day 3 steam veggies come back into play.   Day 4 starchy cooked veggies.  Day 5 rice and/or grains.  This is slightly more liberal than the Blueprint website:

Post Cleanse

The idea is to break the Cleanse primarily with fruit (day one), then add salads, then add steamed veggies, legumes (day three), from there you may begin incorporating what ever else it is that you normally eat leaving meat and dairy last to come on board.

Breaking the Cleanse Sample Menu:

Day 1 – A few pieces of fruit spread out through the day, or some fresh squeezed non-pasteurized juice (green/citrus/or fruit). If you wish to drink some freshly squeezed juice, be sure to dilute it with some water.

Day 2 – Raw or lightly steamed vegetables, e.g. spinach, broccoli; try and avoid the more starchy veggies like carrots, beets, squash etc. You may also have a raw green leafy salad with some vegetables.

Day 3 – Green salads should be your staple at this point. If you’re craving some more sustenance, you may choose plain brown rice (a small portion), or a yam or sweet potato.

Day 4 – If you eat meat, you may incorporate some now – lightly steamed or poached fish, with veggies and a salad of course!

Day 5 – Other more “dense” foods are now able to gradually make a come back.

So here is what I bought:

Mostly organic: celery, kale, romaine, cucumber, carrots, apples, melon, Brussels, yams and seltzer.  Plus a few chobanis for down the road.  (Note: kale + sweet potato, i might have a certain blogger’s famous soup in mind)

I even vita-mixed a batch of Gena’s soup (with avocado instead of oil) to have on hand throughout the next few days. I have a batch at the office and at home.

Saturday I woke up, worked out and got ready to meet my friend for a matinee (in case you didn’t know, the first showing of movies in the city are half price!).  I had to hurry as we were seeing the show at the Lincoln Center Loews.  It ended up being a trek for me as the 7 train decided to stop running for a random 3 hour block that morning.  But after a shuttle bus, a train ride and hopping into a cab, I sprinted to the theater entrance just in time for Star Trek.  Fortunately, Derek lives directly across the street from the theater so he was standing there with the tickets when I arrived.   During the previews, I had my first random bout of uber happiness and for a good 15 minutes I was just loving the world.  Although, I had so much energy, I wasn’t sure I would be able to sit for three hours.  Fortunately, the movie was pretty good and the star was pretty cute, so I was fine.

That morning I cute up a 1/4 of a cantaloupe and packed my last green juice–this kind although it was in a bottle, not a glass of course.  I also packed an apple and a huge bag of celery just in case.

I ate a bit of the melon in the morning.  During the movie, I sipped on my last green juice…tear!  After the movie, we walked around a bit deciding on a brunch place.  I knew I could get a fruit salad anywhere.  Derek is fairly obsessed with Josie’s and I had never been, so it seemed look a good pic–healthy to boot.  It was starker in ambiance than I had imagined, but we only had to wait a few minutes, so that was good.  We watched the AIDs walk, while we waited.

I ordered the fruit bowl and the meuslen salad, vinaigrette on the side.  For some reason, the brunch service wasn’t very good, why does this only happen to me at healthy places?  The forgot to come to our table with their famous raisin rolls, although they were passed to almost everyone else. I was actually relieved I wouldn’t be tempted.  They also forgot my fruit salad, so I just had the greens.  Oh well,  I didn’t have much of an appetite, so it was a good time for that to happen.  At first I thought they were bringing my salad second, so I didn’t follow up, but by the time Derek was done, it was clear it wasn’t coming.

After that we strolled through Central Park, and had a little deja vu of my Saturday.  We went to a very special store to pick up a gift for my little sister’s college graduation next month!  BTW Kristen has almost completed the 30-Day Shred challenge…rock on girl! Then we went to Fossil to pick up my watch. 

By then it was around 4:00, so I felt like really should eat something.  It will take a while to break that urge.  So I had some celery on my way home.

When I got home I had a little of Gena’s soup.

For dinner, I had a very light salad of romaine, cucumber and avocado.

Day 2

I stuck with the plan and had fruit for breakfast, more of gena’s soup for lunch, some raw veggies and fruit in the afternoon, and a salad with roasted veggies and a few rosemary quackers for dinner.  I also had a fair amount of extra dark organic chocolate.

So far this worked perfectly, I never felt tired or nauseous after eating and my mood was great.

By Day 3, my appetite was back and I incorporated yams into my lunch salad.  For dinner, I knew I would be at the yankees game, so I picked up a hummus sandwich loaded with veggies from Think.  It was probably the best and easiest choice available, despite the improved dining options at the gorgeous new stadium.  I was excited to find Melissa’s Organic Fruit Cart!  Cool!  I also had a hot chocolate because I was freezing, and didn’t want caffeine from coffee so late at night.

Day 4, I was hungry pretty much all day. I wanted every cookie, brownie and ice cream cone in sight.  I have to say I have pretty much fully integrated grain and dairy back into my life by this point.  While at first I was alarmed at how quickly my taste buds were re sensitized to sweet food and grains, but I realized this morning that hormones definitely played some role in my sudden hunger craving comeback.  But at least no bloating or cramps this month!  I also attended the most amazing Beam Green Social Club event, that certainly will have a post its own post.  All I can say is that Beam Green is the best kept secret in NY.  Events like that usually go for $100, but membership is only $20 a month. First off the events take place at Tavern on the Green–so cool, secondly there is tons of amazing nibblies, such as Liquiteria  juices, babycakes cookies, veggie brown rice sushi, veggies platters and more!  So much more to say, stay tuned.

So that is where I am.  I think my mood and outlook was the most drastic effect of the cleanse.  I learned that your taste buds will crave what you give them, but sugar, starch and sweets definitely have a lasting and instant hold!  I also realized how much better I feel without a big nighttime snack. I have always been a late eater, but I realized how much lighter and energetic I feel in the morning if I stop eating around 8.   Hopefully, I can keep that up.

So that’s my story, I am not crazy, I don’t deprive myself, I love food, eating, and ice cream, but I also really love green juice!

Raw Chef for a Night

I know my blog has been more about food than fitness lately, but I actually just took a new class last night, so I will be posting about it soon.  I also have a guest blogger post coming up.

I owed Gena a raw dinner, so last Saturday I gathered my nerve and took a shot at preparing a whole raw meal for a raw foodist! It came out rather well, and boy did the vita-mix get a workout. She was fine actually, but my coffee grinder bit the dust.  I thought I would use it for the raw truffles for two I was making, but the poor little grinder couldn’t take it.  Fortunately Vita-mixed it without breaking a sweat.

So what was on the menu?

A tropical fruit salad with raspberry poppy seed dressing inspired by  Green Chef Melissa Davison at gliving.  I actually used blackberries and blueberries and added a generous drizzle balsamic.  I am not a dressing person at all, and oh my god, I could have drank this dressing absolutely delicious.

I love how beautiful raw food is.

Raw Summer Rolls based on the recipe from Matthew Kenney’s Entertaining in the Raw cookbook.  The almond butter sauce for these rolls was out of this world—sweet, savory and a hint spicy at the same time.  See more about the book at the end of the post.  The recipe is similar to my favorite dish at Pure and Wine, the spicy thai lettuce wraps, but this recipe is actually easier than the one in RFRW.

The main course was alfredo pasta primavera from this recipe.  Holly yum!  Sorry, I was to lazy to photograph this one plated!

And for dessert, raw freezer fudge based on this gliving recipe and even more closely on the chewy chocolate freezer fudge the recipe in raw food real world.  And raw brownies turned raw truffles—I used almonds instead of walnuts and skipped the frosting.  Raw desserts are so easy and so yummy!

And because Gena is the sweetest girl ever, she brought me these amazing books as a hostess gift!  I won’t be able to read them for a while, but I am so excited to enjoy them when school/work/internship calms down.

Entertaining in the Raw is definitely for those who have the desire to put time and effort into the process of creating beautiful raw food.  The recipes themselves are not complicated and the ingredients list is not to long or abstract, but each dish contains many components and sauces and steps.  That said the directions are very clear and there is assembly instruction for each dish to ensure you can recreate the stunning presentation yourself. The recipes go beyond ordinary and also includes recipes that are modern and abstract in composition. As I mentioned, the story and inspiration behind many of the recipes is included, which make this book as well as Raw Food, Real World truly unique and a joy to read.  I think there are several components of these gorgeous recipes that I could use to create a simpler version of the recipe, but I don’t see myself actually composing many of the recipes in their entirety because I don’t own a dehydrator.  But for a seasoned raw chef looking for a challenge, this is the book for you.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, the fact that almost every recipe in the book is photographed is incredible.

Some photos from the book:

Summer rolls and red chili-pineapple dipping sauce

Tomato tacos with citrus cream

Frozen chocolate pudding with cinnamon-glazed plums, chocolate basil wafers, and vanilla bean-plum syrup.

Cubist mushrooms and white asparagus with red pepper curry sauce and black sesame crackers.

Portobello-meat stew, yellow “rice,” crisp plantain, and yellow macadamia “sour cream”

Blogging from Bed and Upcoming Book Reviews

Wow, I apologize if I miss a few days of blogging this week.  Things got crazy out of the blue!

• Monday I planned the monthly social outing for my internship and the registrations came POURING in (lots of excels files in my life these days ,
• Tonight I worked an event until 9,
• Tomorrow I have to go on a field trip for my class,
• Thursday night I have a paper due and class,
• Friday night is the social event I am in charge of for the internship,
• Saturday AND Sunday I am also working all day at events for my internship,
• plus the regular old 9-5er.

I am not trying to complain, busy is good, I will probably be a little loopy next week, but hey that’s life, you have to live it. 

So I owe you not one, but now two book reviews!  I will post both this week, probably one by Friday and the other by Sunday night.

The first arrived beautifully packaged:

Inside just as beautiful.  Matthew Kenney’s new book, Entertaining in the Raw.

While I will expand much further on my thoughts on this book later in the week, I will say this is my third cookbook by Matthew Kenney. 

I also own Raw Food, Real World and Matthew Kenney’s Mediterranean Cooking (not raw).

The main difference between Kenney’s books and any other cookbook I have read is that they are actually books, story books.  You can actually read them because they practically bust the binding with information, personal stories and the inspiration behind each dish. You actually learn to prepare more than just the recipe, he gives tips for creating delicious food on your own as well, I mention some of these in a salad post ages ago.  Kenney also includes beautiful photos of almost every single recipe, which I find to be incredible.  It blows my mind that cookbooks can publish recipes without pictures, food is so visual, words on a page do not make the mouth water and inspire you to take time to prepare a nice meal. While Entertaining in the Raw is not a 30 minute meals book, it requires time, patience and love over a Saturday evening, Kenney is very upfront about this.  All right, I will talk more about this later.  

 Gena recently prepared a delicious raw meal for me (see below), and it is my turn to play host next, so this book may very well provide inspiration.

The other book I will be reviewing is Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting by Bethenny Frankel.

I know many of you will be very excited to hear more about this one, I have to say it hasn’t disappointed me so far! 

Okay, now on to more food:

As I mentioned Gena made me the most delicious raw meal last week, right before the premiere of the Real Housewives of NYC, speak of the devil

It was delicious and taught me not to be intimidated by raw food preparation.  Thanks Gena, I hope I can make a meal half as good for you!

On the menu:

Amuse Bouche with raw sundried tomato cheese from Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen

Raw Carrot Renew from Natalia Rose Raw Food Detox Diet

       

Sushi using parsnip rice from Raw Food Real World and Sushi to Impress Recipe from Natalia Rose, rolling the nori was so much easier than I thought!

   

Creamy Asian Salad with Creamy Asian Salad Dressing from Natalia Rose (dressing-OMFG!)

Sorry a few of the photos are blurry!

 

Did I make you hungry?  Check out Kristen’s wonderful recipe for a Blissed Out Chocolate Runner’s Smoothie. YUM