Spring is traditionally a really good time to cleanse our digestive systems. The energy of Spring is that of new growth, of change, those seeds have to push through the dirt to find light. Fresher food is more available. For the most part, the weather is warmer. Not so much the last few weeks here in Central California! It has been raining a lot.

I decided with the excited support of my nutritionist with whom I work to do a 21 day raw food diet. I have ( had) gotten too set in my ways what I was willing to eat and not eat. I had been partaking of too many ( albeit WAY less than in the past) starchy carbohydrates and grains. Dairy, to which I am intolerant, was creeping back in….. mmm, cheese! raw cream! so, this felt really right. I am at almost 2 weeks now and going strong. I am following an omnivore raw diet. This means that I am eating some raw fish, raw egg yolks which I have written about here, and no, it is not raw but have had a bit of seared very rare meat. I have had a bit of raw goat cheese as well. I eat as many vegetables as I can including some that are fermented, a couple of portions of fruit a day, nuts and seeds, and plenty of fat in the form of coconut, olive, flax, and hemp oil.

Yes, I have been hungry. Yes, I have had equal moments of being gloriously satisfied.

I feel different. I have lost some weight. ( I haven’t weighed myself in a very long time, but I can see it and feel it). My ankles aren’t as swollen. My joints are no where near as inflamed. I am sleeping even better than before. It will be interesting next week when I start adding in more meat, cooked veggies how I continue to feel. It will be a good time to really tune in. Do I feel better because of no grains? no chicken? Or, do I feel better because of how many vegetables I am eating ?

So, no cooking per se which is weird for me. But, lots of chopping and mixing and creating interesting things. The food dehydrator has come out a few times. Here are a few photos of some concoctions.

An old standby, beet and carrot salad, I have enjoyed it with tahini miso dressing, occasionally with some walnuts, and occasionally wrapped up in some nori like a sushi roll.

I love this version of seaweed salad, found long ago on the internet. I would love to give credit but now I cannot find it so thank you to someone out there in the seemingly infinite world wide web. The basic ingredients are green apple. wakame seaweed, and avocado. I mostly stick with this and make a dressing out of different kinds of oils, coconut vinegar and a raw egg yolk. Truly, the egg yolk just disappears into it. If you click on the wakame link, you will discover as I did that it is a very invasive weed that can do damage to boats, etc. It is so nutritious, I wonder what this all means for the future of eating it.

Not such a great photograph but oh so delicious. Cafe Gratitude Cafe in the San Francisco Bay Area is a pioneer both in their delicious raw cuisine but also in how they do business. I have raved about their onion bread in another post. Here is a Spinach Tortilla from their cookbook. I topped it with a bit of kefir cream and some salmon and halibut ceviche. Sadly, it was gone in a few bites.

So, another week to go. I do look forward to having a piece of chicken and some roasted vegetables. It feels good that the simple things are what are calling to me. We will see.

Are you intrigued by the raw food diet ? My friend mentioned above is leading a raw food cleanse starting with an informational meeting this coming weekend. Please click on the link above and you will learn more about it, or leave a comment here.

I am neither vegan nor a raw foodist but this bread is high on my list of favorite things to eat and to make. It is raw, getting “baked” in the food dehydrator, vegan, and gluten free. So simple and so satisfying, it also can be made in your oven. You can do it overnight if you feel comfortable leaving the appliance on, so you won’t be taking away from other oven use.

I have never been ( yet) to Cafe Gratitude but use their cookbook occasionally. I know several people, vegan and carnivore , who claim this recipe as one of their favorites also.

Cafe Gratitude Onion Bread ( also known as I am Original)

1 1/4 lb. sweet onions, peeled
1/2c ground sunflower seeds ( I have been known to use more and to use a combo of sunflower seeds and sesame seeds)
1/2c. ground golden flax seeds
1/4 c. olive oil ( this last batch I made I forgot to put this in and it didn’t make a lot of difference!)
1 1/2 oz. tamari sauce
3 T. sweetener ( the Cafe recipe calls for agave but I no longer use it as it is too high in fructose. Please use local raw honey, which is NOT vegan, if you need sweetener. I leave it out totally and think it is fine without)

Put onions in the food processor using the “S” blade and process until small pieces, but not mush. Put into mixing bowl with other ingredients and mix thoroughly. The flax will absorb the liquid. With moistened fingers, smooth dough onto grid dehydrator sheets lined with a Teflex sheet. Spread to about 1/4 in. thick. Dehydrate at 145º for 1 hour and then reduce temperature to 115º and dehydrate until dry ( check at about 8 hours). Break into pieces or cut with pizza cutter and store in airtight container.

Yummy warmed up with good cultured butter or nut butter. Sorry vegans, but it is marvelous with cheese melted on it. Makes a very thin sandwich but it is actually pretty sturdy.

If you use your conventional oven, put the temperature at its lowest setting possible. Place a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet and using your wet fingers, spread out mixture as described above. At about 6 hours, carefully turn over the pieces of bread and continue drying. I think it took my oven about 10 hours. I also left the oven door cracked as I really had no idea what the temperature was in there. Once you get addicted to this bread, you just might need to buy a dehydrator.

I was presented with the idea of doing a cleanse/raw food challenge as an opportunity to give my digestive system a break from starchy carbohydrates, heavy meat, cooked food, and as an opportunity to change things up and maybe kickstart some weight loss. I bravely decided to do 10 days of raw food. This is not a vegan raw diet. I am including raw dairy, raw fish, and raw egg yolks. Read about the benefits of eating raw eggs here. I emphasize that they MUST be pastured eggs, local and fresh.

Currently I am at the half way point. So far, so good. I have been face to face with lots of food cravings. I have found myself staring at cookies or at the deli counter in the grocery stores. I have not been hungry and I have eaten some really good and interesting things.

In doing some research on some raw breakfast ideas, I came across a few recipes for Chia seed “pudding”. Chia seeds are an excellent source of amino acids as well as having the interesting quality of turning gelatinous when soaked. Taking what I liked from those recipes, I came up with this delicious pudding that really could be eaten anytime of day.

Chia Seed Pudding

1 cup raw milk ( this could be any kind of nut or seed milk, coconut milk, raw cow’s milk, goat… I used goat’s milk kefir as I wanted the probiotic benefits of the kefir)

1/3 c chia seeds

1/4 c chopped dried figs ( next time, I will leave this out and just mix with fresh fruit)

1 tsp. raw local honey ( or more, depending on your sweet tooth)

the seeds and scrapings from half a vanilla bean ( or if you don’t care about it all being raw, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract)

1 T. flax oil

MIx all the above ingredients in a jar with a good fitting lid. Leave in the refrigerator overnight. Shake it a few times, if you have time . In the morning, it will be nice and thick and the seeds will have swollen and softened. Eat as is, or mix with a raw egg yolk or two, and serve on top of a cup or so of fresh fruit of your choice.

( This would be good with some cinnamon or ground ginger added. You could add a few spoonsful of raw cacao or carob powder, too.)

This post is part of GNOWFGLINS  Tuesday Twister. Please head over there and read the other fabulous posts.

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