What's Uncookin' Good Lookin'? - Episode VI

First off, I guess I better warn youse that this is going to be a loooooooong one. I promise I won't be offended if you'd rather go straight down to the recipes. ;-)

It's already been a month since we arrived at my sister's place in Quebec. Boy, does time ever fly by!

Don and I have been mostly recovering from the big journey East and adjusting to our new living situation. So far, everything is going surprisingly well... except for the weather! It's been a camper's nightmare; we can count on the fingers of one hand how many sunny days we've had these past four weeks. Boo hoo. In fact, it's been raining so much and so hard that a couple of nights ago, we woke up at 3 AM in the middle of a lake and had to relocate to Josee's house. We've been sleeping in the basement since, waiting for the pool to evaporate. The lake's level has risen by almost 2 feet and is getting dangerously close to our tent so we might have to come up with Plan B unless the weather turns real soon!

Our Daily Dose of Beauty (and Fresh Air!)
Thankfully, we usually get long enough of a dry spell to go for our daily walks down a nearby path. It's actually an old road that hasn't been used for years and is now overgrown. It's very pretty and we always virtually have it all to ourselves. It's been beautiful to witness how Kylo and Ti-Nours have become buddies. They just LUV their walkies!


This is the spot where we turn around. It's a great big field with 5 resident horses (although you can't see them in this picture.)


We like to go up a small side path on the way back which leads to an open field. There's lots of wild flowers and field strawberries, which we've been feasting on for days. I was telling Don how it would make an ideal location for building a home; it's so surrounded by trees that for a moment you forget that you're really not that far from civilization.

The doggies love it too. They get so playful, running around in that great big open space.

Ahhhhhh! Life is good!

The grass has become so tall you can hardly see them at times.

This is the view as we're approaching Beauchastel Lake on our way home.

Never Too Late For Greens

My dear friend Mosaica - who has the greenest thumb I know - gave me the brilliant idea to start a little garden of my own, in spite of how late it is in the season. I'm mostly interested in greens and herbs anyway, and they grow quickly. So a couple of weeks ago we bought several bags of dirt and compost. Don had our new little garden ready in just a couple of hours. I then took over, planting 2 varieties of lettuce, some kale and arugula.

Hum, what to plant next?

I'm amazed at how quickly it has grown; you can now see the difference from one day to the next! Yay! I also bought several pots of herbs (3 varieties of basil, oregano, dill, mint, parsley and tarragon) which I then transplanted.


To The Big City
Last weekend I went for a short trip to Montreal with my sister and her friend, Fernand, as they were headed that way. As I hadn't seen my parents yet and we're not sure when Don and I will be able to make it, it felt like the perfect opportunity.

It also gave me a chance to stock up on nuts and seeds, and various products at the health food stores such as miso, almond butter, nutritional yeast and sea salt. It was a relief to see that I could find almost all of our staples for a very similar price than what we were used to paying in BC. It's definitely a long way to go for shopping (Rouyn-Montreal is roughly an 8 hour drive), but we'll see where we end up settling down. We also stopped by Jean-Talon market - a year-round open air market in Montreal's Little Italy - where I found fresh basil, tomatoes and garlic. I couldn't resist taking a photo of this gorgeous display of small local fruits where I treated myself to some earth cherries; a delicacy I hadn't enjoyed since I left Quebec.


I had arranged to visit an old friend, Etienne, I hadn't seen for almost 9 years. Interestingly, he's sharing an apartment on the trendy 'Plateau Mont-Royal' with Eve-Marie, a young woman who lived in BC for a while. Don and I bumped into her several years ago in the Slocan Valley and even took her to our home in Winlaw to spend an afternoon. Small world, eh!?! Etienne had gone to the countryside the day before and harvested medicinal plants, so he gave me a big bunch of nettle.


Shannsu, whom I met via Raw Freedom Community and is from Quebec, had told me that a raw restaurant - Crudessence - has recently opened in Montreal, so I made a point to drop by. I had a fabulous time there, talking with their friendly staff and savoring their gorgeous foods. But I'll keep my full review for another post, as this one is already getting long. Crudessence is located just a few blocks away from the Mont-Royal. In what seems like a past life now, I used to sell my handmade didgeridoos on this very spot at the 'Tamtams'; a popular gathering that takes place every Sunday during the summer.


My parents live on the South Shore, about a half hour from Montreal, on a quiet property with a beautiful view of the nearby Mont St-Bruno and Mont St-Hilaire. My mother, Jeanne, was happy to finally have her 2 daughters under the same roof. You know how intuitive moms can be... She had actually guessed that I was coming back to Quebec. In fact, she told me she even thought of asking Josee to offer us to move in with her! lol

When I visited my parents 3 years ago, they had tried several of the raw dishes I'd prepared and really enjoyed them. I mean, not that the food is difficult to like, but my parents are in their seventies now and their taste buds pretty set in their ways. This time around, they again were open to my raw concoctions. Our last meal together was virtually all raw which I think is totally cool! On the menu was Cream of Zucchini Soup, Tuna Salad with an assortment of cooked and raw crackers, salad with my House Dressing, Zucchini Pasta with Kristen's Tuscan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, and a yummy marinated salad from my mom's repertoire. They provided dessert (not raw): homemade Wild Blueberry Pie and an award-winning Maple Pie.


Which sorta leads me to the kitchen department... ;-)

Josee's Kitchen Gone Raw
As we had gone through the last of our dehydrated supplies during the trip, I had 3 D days in the same week in order to replenish our stock. I made Veggie Herb Pizza Crust, Rawvolution's burgers, Veggie Wraps, Onion Bread and Raw Cheeze Itz, Sweet Seed Crackers and granola bars. I also experimented with a couple of types of whole flax crackers; something I've never really done before, as I've been sticking to recipes where the flax is mostly ground.

Poor Josee, we've taken over her fridge with our bulky produce! lol We've established a little routine where she usually has either some of our raw soup or salad to accompany her evening meal. Some of the soups we've been enjoying include the following:

Photo by Nightheron

Raw Fresh Thyme and Celery Soup
Posted by Nightheron on Raw Freedom Community

Serves 1-2

1 bunch celery, stem ends removed and roughly chopped
2 sunburst/pattypan squash, roughly chopped (or other summer squash)
1 clove garlic
2 green onions, stem ends removed and roughly chopped
1/4-1/3 c roughly chopped poblano pepper (or some of a hot chili pepper)
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 c water (or enough for desired consistency)
fresh thyme sprigs and raw sunflower seeds to garnish (optional)

Place all ingredients except garnishes in Vita-Mix or high speed blender and process 1-2 minutes until smooth. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with thyme and sunflower seeds.

Carmella's Note: I love this soup! It's so creamy, tasty and delicious! I make it with these few mods:
2 3/4 cups chopped celery
1/2 avo
1 cup zucchini
1 green onion
1 garlic clove
1 tbs dried thyme
Water
Pinch cayenne

Creamy Sweet Pea Soup
Adapted from a recipe posted by Kelly here

This soup has also become an instant hit in our kitchen. Delicious and very filling too! I'm hoping to get a chance to try it with fresh garden peas this summer. *fingers crossed*

Serves 4-5

3 cups sweet peas, thawed
1 avocado
2 cups cucumbers
2 cups celery
1/4 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup cashews, ground (optional)
2 cloves of garlic
1 green onion
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp miso
Water until desired consistency is reached
Salt, to taste

Blend until smooth.

Serve with fresh chopped parsley and extra peas.

If desired, gently warm up on the stove while stirring constantly.

Carmella's Notes:
~ Once I forgot to add the cashews and noticed the soup was still super creamy regardless, so I don't bother anymore.

~ I also started to throw in a handful of fresh parsley in the blender rather than adding it at the end.


And another big favorite we discovered last winter. Yummyly addictive!


Cheezy Corn Chowder
Posted by Snowdrop on Raw Freedom Community

1 c corn kernels
1 clove garlic
1 T onion
1/4 c cashews
2 T nutritional yeast
4 baby carrots (or 1 regular one)
1/4" ring of red pepper
2 T olive oil
1/2 - 1 t psyllium (depending how thick you wish chowder to get)
1 t cumin
1/8 t nutmeg
1 T parsley
1/2 t salt
grind pepper to taste
2 c water

Blend in high-speed blender until very creamy. Then add by hand:
1/4 c more corn kernels
1 T parsley

Warm up on stove till warm enough to eat.

Bowl up and garnish with additional minced parsley & fresh ground pepper.

Snowdrop's Note: You can use fresh or frozen corn - i used frozen today because it is winter
and there is no fresh corn available. i didn't use miso, but a light miso would easily replace the salt & add a deeper dimension of flavor.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I once ran out of cumin and made it with curry powder instead. It gave the soup more of a bite but it was still outstanding.

~ I usually replace the olive oil with 1/4 of a small avocado.


Josee prepared raw soups for us on a couple of occasions. She made Fred Patenaude's Roquette Me Soup and the following Carrot/Asparagus Soup.


Carrot/Asparagus Soup
By Nomi Shannon

This could be called the king of soups. The fiber in the asparagus creates a delightful texture, and the tahini gives it a smooth quality. Do not use the woody ends of the asparagus, about 2” from the end. For extra zip, stir in 1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder.

Yields 1 1/2 cups. Serves 2.

1 cup cut up asparagus, or more to taste
1 cup carrot juice
2 heaping tablespoons tahini (or almond butter)
1 teaspoon cut up onion, or more to taste
A pinch of sea salt or a few drops of nama shoyu or Bragg's dulse flakes

In blender, blend first 5 ingredients into a smooth consistency. Pour into serving bowl and
top with dulse flakes.


As for salads, we've been sticking to the tried-and-true dressings that we love so much: my House Dressing, Ingrid's Tomato Dressing and a chia variation of my house dressing I recently developed. I've been meaning to share the recipe for a while, but I felt it still needed a bit of tweaking. I think I've got it down pat now.


Chia House Dressing

Yields about 3 cups

2 tbs chia seeds
1/4 medium avocado
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
3 tbs sesame seeds or tahini
1 tbs tamari or nama shoyu
1 tbs honey or agave
1 1 /2 tsp sea salt
2 or 3 garlic cloves
1 cup + 1 tbs water (or more, depending on the fat content of your avo)

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides a bit for those elusive little chia seeds.

Enjoy on your favorite bed of greens!

Dill Variation:
Add a generous 1/4 cup of fresh dill at the end and pulse gently only to break down.


Now that there's less than 2 weeks to go before Don and I cater for an event for 25 to 30 people, we've been doing lots of brainstorming as to what dishes to serve. When I first found out about it, I thought right away of asking my friends over at RFC for suggestions and ideas. This is why I love forums so much! One can get different perspectives/angles one wouldn't come up with on one's own. We still don't know for sure if we'll be catering for one or two dinners yet, but the menu is pretty much set now.

As I was mentioning earlier, at my parents' I enjoyed a salad from my mom's culinary repertoire. It's so good and simple to prepare that I've decided to include it in our Asian menu (in the event that we cater for a second meal). The original recipe calls for rice, but it can easily be subbed with quinoa or omitted all together for an all-raw version.


Jeanne’s Asian Spinach Salad (modified)

Serves 4-6

Salad
1 pound mung bean sprouts
1 bag spinach sliced thinly
2 cups mushrooms sliced
½ cup green onions
½ cup or more of raw cashews
2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa (optional)

Dressing
3 tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup tamari
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves crushed

Mix all salad ingredients in a bowl.

Toss well with dressing.

Let marinate for at least one hour to allow for the flavors to blend.

Carmella's Notes:
~ If you omit the rice, double the amount of mushrooms.

~ You may not need to use all of the dressing.


Some of the main courses we've been having lately include: Joz's Fajitas, my Spinach & Cream Pasta Casserole, Cheddar Cheeze Spread or Dip or Tuna Salad on crackers, zucchini pasta with alfredo sauce and pesto. We had a pizza nite one evening that Fernand joined us for dinner. I prepared two kinds: the Gimme More Pizza! and one topped with Cheddar Cheeze and marinated veggies.


And lastly, I haven't been playing in the kitchen too much in terms of dessert, other than to experiment with an avocado based chocolate mousse that I would like to serve at the catering. Let's just hope that we can find some decent priced avos this week, as they've been ridiculously small and expensive lately.

Chocolate Mousse Parfait with fresh berries

I had the pleasure of going raspberry picking one day with my dad at a local farm; something I'd never done before. We filled up our baskets in no time as the raspberries were enormous! When I returned to Rouyn, I felt like something chocolatey (again! lol) featuring our fruity loot. I remembered that the very first cake I created was along the same lines, but I didn't feel like a raspberry cream layer per se. Here's what I came up with, and I must say that other than for some minor adjustments, I'm very pleased with the result.

Chocolate & Raspberry Cream Cake

For this recipe you will need:

• Cake
• Whipped Cream
• 1 1/2 cups raspberries (plus a few for decoration)
• Raspberry Cream Icing
• Raspberry Sauce

Cake
1 1/2 cups wet almond pulp (from making almond milk)
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup dates, soaked
1/2 cup cacao powder
2 tbs carob powder
2 tbs agave nectar
1 tbs maple syrup
2 tsp soak water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla powder (or 1 tbs vanilla extract)
1/8 tsp salt

Grind walnuts and pecans in food processor. Set aside.

Transfer dates to in food processor (squeeze liquid out best you can first) and make into a paste.

Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth.

Carmella's Note: You may have to do it in two shots, depending on the size of your food processor.


Whipped Cream

Yields about 3 cups

1 cup cashews or a mixture of cashews and macadamia nuts
1 cup + 2 tablespoons almond milk or fresh coconut milk (simply blend 1 part dried coconut with 3 parts water in high speed blender)
1/8 - 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar (depending on how sweet a tooth you have)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon lecithin*

*Lecithin is derived from soybeans and acts as an emulsifier. Look for lecithin (preferably non-GMO), in granules or powdered form, at your local HFS. If using granules, make sure to grind them up in a high speed blender of coffee grinder.

Blend all ingredients except lecithin until smooth. Add lecithin and blend until thoroughly mixed. Set in freezer until firm, then transfer to fridge until ready to use.


Raspberry Cream Icing
1 cup Whipped Cream
1/2 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries
1 tbs agave
1 tsp lecithin

Blend all ingredients in high-speed blender until smooth. Set in freezer until firm, then transfer to fridge until ready to use.

Carmella's Note: I used this mixture only as icing, but you could use it as the center layer instead of the plain Whipped Cream. In this case, triple the amounts given in the above recipe.

Assembly
Evenly spread half of the cake mixture at the bottom of a 7 or 8" spring form pan.

Pour 1/3 of the Whipped Cream or Raspberry Cream on top. (No need for the Cream to be firm at this point.) If using the Raspberry Cream, make sure to leave some aside for the icing. Place in the freezer to set.

Top with the raspberries, followed by the rest of the Cream. Place in freezer until firm.

Next, form the second cake layer and return to freezer to set.

When firm, run a knife along the edge of the pan and gently remove the cake. Place on serving plate.

Frost the cake with Raspberry Cream Icing.

Decorate with raspberries.

Serve with Raspberry Sauce.

Carmella's Notes:
~ When I made the cake, I miscalculated and poured 1/2 of the Whipped Cream before putting the raspberries. As a result, the fruit layer wasn't really centered, as you can see in the photos. ;-)

~ I also didn't put quite enough raspberries, but I've changed the recipe accordingly.

~ I was too tired to whip up a Raspberry Sauce when I first served it, but we all agreed that it's the perfect final touch to this dessert. Berry, berry decadent! ;-)

Heathy's Raspberry Sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

Blend ingredients until smooth. Strain to remove seeds.


Phfew! Guess that pretty much wraps it up for this post.

Stay tuned for the restaurant review and the rest of our journey across Canada!

'Til next time!

Raw On The Road: The Journey East Part I

In my last post, I was telling you about the recent major shift in our lives. After spending many years in British Columbia, a few weeks ago we made the jump into the Unknown and moved to Quebec, where I'm from originally.

As promised, here's the first part of my account of our (long!) journey across Canada.

Getting Ready
As I was mentioning before, we didn't have a great deal of time to prepare for this sudden turn of events. Thankfully, as we didn't have much stuff, it wasn't too difficult to go through it and decide what stayed and what came with.

When we first thought of going east, we of course wondered how the animals would fare on such a major adventure. Kylo had traveled with us on a couple of occasions and there were no problems with him. DaPuss, on the other hand, was an unknown element - to say the least - as she was pretty freaked out when we recently moved from the Kootenays to the Okanagan. In an attempt to make the journey somewhat smoother, we bought Puss a little harness. As it turned out, she quickly learned how to sneak out of it (don't ask me how she did it, little furry Houdini that she is!), but it still proved helpful in locating her sometimes. (Way easier to spot a fur ball with a long leash trailing behind. lol) The day before we left, we tried the new harness on, see how she'd do with it.

She barely noticed having it on! lol

In the past, when Don and I traveled, we ate only fruits which simplified things a LOT. However, this time around circumstances determined otherwise; the freezer was full of savory goodies which we brought on the trip. I did manage to have a D day so we could also have some sweet snacks for the road: Heathy's Super Granola Bars from her Just Desserts ebook as well as her Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and the Sweet Seed Crackers published in one of the early issues of Purely Delicious magazine. The morning before heading off, I also whipped up a batch of my House Dressing, Ranch Dressing and Oh My This Is A Tuna!, as well as a raw soup for that evening.

Raw On The Road - General Notes
~ As I was just saying, we had lots of goodies in the freezer which turned out to be a blessing. We packed our cooler with various crackers (Onion Bread, Just Like Ritz and the Raw Cheeze Itz), Matthew Kenney's basil coconut wraps, a batch of plain fermented cheeze, Rawvolution's Burgers, and Kristen Suzanne's Gourmet Italian Quiche Tarts. Since they were still frozen, they also conveniently served as natural ice packs. ;-)

~ You'll notice that most of the time, we didn't have breakfast or lunch per se. Instead, we grazed throughout the morning and afternoon on lots of fruits, granola bars, seed crackers, and a trail mix that Don had prepared with various nuts, seeds and dried fruits.

~ We had kept the Vitamix handy and we did use it on a few occasions, plugging it in electrical outlets in public bathrooms or at campsites.

~ Some condiments and food items we took along that proved helpful: sea salt, seasoning salt, wheat-free tamari, miso, pepper, dried tarragon, oregano and dill, cinnamon, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, agave, honey and maple syrup, various teas (I harvested a bunch of herbs on the property that I dried in the sun before leaving), Krakus (a coffee substitute), fresh garlic, olive oil, hemp oil, almond butter, chia seeds, almonds, cashews and raisins.

~ I also brought some quinoa which I had pre-rinsed and dehydrated for convenience. We occasionally eat it cooked as we're not fans of sprouted quinoa, finding it has a bitter taste that we don't care for. According to Wikipedia, quinoa is technically a seed, not a grain, and "contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source." The fact that it's alkaline, ready in only 15 minutes of cooking and is light and easy to digest are other factors that make quinoa a relatively good and healthy choice for us when we feel like something warm and sustaining.

The Journey East -
Day One
Amazingly, we managed to fit everything we wanted to take on top of and inside the car; mostly raw food equipment, clothes, my knitting stuff and a few boxes of raw specialty foods. Well, almost... We had to leave a few gallon jars that I used for kombucha tea and sprouting behind. No biggie.

As you know, cats are notorious for being psychic; as we were all ready to go, not surprisingly, Puss was nowhere to be found. She could probably feel that something big and challenging was afoot. This gave us the opportunity to take one last stroll along the lovely Shuswap River before hitting the road. Puss showed up when we returned and our journey began in earnest.

Due to our late start and our running some errands in Vernon, we didn't get very far that day. Poor Puss was so traumatized during the car ride that she'd get into panting fits. We spent our first night at what we've nicknamed 'the campground from Hell', just outside Revelstoke. We paid $30 for a basic spot with no services, and soon found out that train tracks were virtually next to the site. (EEK!)

Our original intention was to unload the car every evening and sleep in the back of the minivan, but that turned out to be way too labor intensive. We had a tent as well, so it seemed much more convenient to sleep in it. Between the sound of trains passing almost every 30 minutes and the highway traffic, needless to say we didn't get much sleep that night.

*~*~*
Raw on the Road - Day 1
Dinner: Cream of Zucchini Soup that I'd made that morning, salad with my House Dressing, asparagus, and Tuna Salad on crackers.
*~*~*

The Journey East -
Day Two
We got up early the next morning and headed towards Alberta, where we had arranged to get together with Don's sister, Sandy and her family. Sandy and Bruce sold their house in Calgary last year, partly on Don's recommendation in light of the ongoing financial crisis. Instead of reinvesting in real estate, they decided to go nomad and purchase an RV. They spent 6 months traveling around the States over the fall and winter, then came back to Alberta in the spring. We were looking forward to connecting with them before leaving Western Canada.

After some initial complaining and panting, Puss eventually calmed down a bit. She left her hidden spot in the back of the car to get closer to Kylo. It seemed to give her some comfort to be next to her big buddy. She was still very much in shock by our new routine, though, and as you can see, was pretty out of it.


We were blessed with gorgeous weather when driving through the Rockies (and for most of the whole trip actually) so we could enjoy their beauty one last time before saying goodbye to BC.




Throughout the journey, we encountered lots of wildlife along the way: a fox, swans flying in V formation, a goose, 2 turtles (right on the road as we were having our walk one evening), deer, and oh yes, a pair of wolves in a field in the Prairies. As we were driving that day, Don noticed a coyote strangely on the side of the road, so he immediately slowed down and pulled over. Amazingly, the coyote didn't run away, but instead came a little closer (perhaps two or three feet away!) We must have stayed there for at least five minutes, staring at each other through the window. It was a truly magical moment!

Sandy had found us a campsite at the Ghost Lake Recreational Area, near Cochrane where their own RV is parked for the summer. Being a weekday, we had the place virtually to ourselves and the caretaker gave us the best spot in the whole campground! What a radical difference from the previous day's nightmare! We arrived at our 'Hilton of the woods' soon after lunch, and spent the rest of the afternoon setting up. To our great surprise, Puss seemed so relaxed (no doubt due to the fact we were the only campers in sight!) that we decided to let her wander at will.

Mmmm... Nothing better than a nice juicy slice of watermelon on a hot summer day!

Sandy and Bruce joined us later for dinner. As always, it's such a pleasure to spend time with them; they are both such beautiful and caring spirits. A couple of years ago, Sandy, her daughter Jaime and I had so much fun in the kitchen! I actually wrote a series of posts about it if you'd like to take a peak.


*~*~*
Raw on the Road - Day 2
Dinner: Salad with my House Dressing, Heathy's Pasta Primavera tossed in Ranch Dressing and Cafe Gratitude's Almond Joy for dessert.
*~*~*

The Journey East - Day Three
The next day, we had a bit of an 'open house' (or should I say 'open tent'? lol). Sandy arrived around 2pm with Diana Stoevelaar, the 'raw lady' behind the Calgary Raw Vegan Network. She and her partner Manu are spreading the good word about raw by organizing a number of events such as food prep classes, conferences, and monthly potlucks. Diana and I first met during my Calgary visit in January 2007 and instantly connected. We share a special bond that is difficult to explain rationally. Even though we've only met a few times, we feel completely at ease in each other's presence and have many little things in common. We've concluded that we must be soul sisters. ;-)


While Don was talking with Sandy, Bruce and Jaime (who has recently made a surprise return from a 2 year trip to New-Zealand, Nepal and India), Diana and I were busy exchanging raw tips at the picnic table. Diana was thrilled to sample the many raw goodies I had brought. For my part, I got to try two of her divine green smoothies. Mmmmmm... Seriously yummy stuff! She also spoiled me with cute little cookie cutters in sun, flower and butterfly shapes (yay!) and a bag of her delicious and crisp Rainbow Flax Crackers.

The afternoon flew right by and it was soon time to start working on the evening meal. Bruce had brought along their 'house on wheels', as it looked like rain was in the air, so I took over their little kitchen. We ended up being 7 for dinner, but even though I hadn't planned a menu, the meal came together smoothly and effortlessly. I also whipped up a batch of almond milk to be used for dessert that night and for making chia pudding.

*~*~*
Raw on the Road - Day 3
Dinner: I made two different soups: a Tomato and Herbs and my new Zucchini and Lovage Soup. The main course was Rawvolution's Burgers which I'd broken up in little pieces, served on Onion Bread with a dollop of Ranch Dressing, along with a mixed green salad.

I still had a couple of containers of young coconut in the freezer when we left, so I made Heathy's yummy Butterscotch Shake for dessert.
*~*~*

Sandy's son, Evan, and her grandson, Bodhi, dropped by to see us for a few hours and stayed for dinner. This little guy wolfed down his raw soups in no time!

As you may remember, Jaime is really artistic and has a great eye for photography. When she came to visit Don and I in Winlaw a couple of years ago, she took several food pics for my first ebook and did a little photo shoot of us. (That's where that pic in the sidebar came from!) Naturally, she's the one who shot the photos that day, including the following of 'the Boyz'.

Kylo, who took the whole traveling thing in stride.
He's such a great wolfie!

Don, the man behind the wheel

Jaime graciously accepted to do a few food photos for GLiving who would like to feature some of my recipes. I was so excited when I received them a couple of days ago; they look so professional and appetizing! Woot Woot! THANKS Jaime!

My Super Choconana Shake

My Spinach & Cream Pasta Casserole

OK, I think I better stop here for now.

Back soon with more of our rawdventures... ;-)

Bonjour From Quebec! (With a Mouth Full of Strawberries)

Hi folks!

Hope you're all enjoying a sun-filled and fruit-full summer!

For my part, well, I've got some pretty big news.

As you may know, this past year has been super eventful for Don and I. After six years of leading a quiet lifestyle at a retreat center in the magical Slocan Valley, we've had to change location three times in 11 months. As it has turned out, we'd seen nothin' yet! Sometime in May, it started to become clear that, in certain ways, things were starting to close down on us in BC, and that it would be best not to resist it. It was more of a feeling than anything else, but whenever we've had a similar situation in the past, it's proven to be right. The obvious question was of course "where to go?" Quebec was the only place that sorta made sense, mostly since my family is still there. I must say that up 'til then, I never thought I'd be going back East to live, but once again, Life is full of surprises. Actually, when I announced the news to my mom, she said she'd been thinking it was time for me to come back.

So we gave away pretty much all of our stuff (except for my raw equipment of course!) and packed the rest. In spite of how little time we had to get ready, it all went really smoothly. Thankfully, I managed to go to a Vipassana retreat at the last minute, which was such a blessing. After it, I felt much more centered and prepared to meet the challenges of this new adventure.

Before heading off, we went to spend 2 days in Kelowna with our dear friends, Mosaica and Pontifex, with whom we shared a house in Rossland over the winter. Since our going separate ways in April, our relationship has grown considerably over the months. We were sad that we'd be living so far apart, but we trust our paths will cross again at some point.

And so we embarked on our journey East with everything we owned packed in the car, as well as our furry friends, Kylo and DaPuss. The trip went amazingly well given the circumstances, although it felt a LOT longer than when I made it 9 years ago, almost to the day! I've already started to work on a series of posts documenting the actual journey. (Coming up real soon!)

This shift is huge for us in so many ways. One aspect is the 'cultural' shock, Quebec being predominantly French speaking. We will also be 'homeless' for the next few months, until we get a better sense of where we're meant to reside. For the moment, we're at my sister Josee's place in Abitibi near Rouyn-Noranda. She has a quiet property by a lake, so we couldn't have dreamed of a better landing spot.

I thought you guys might want to see some photos of our new 'home for now'...

The view of beautiful Beauchastel Lake seen from the deck.

... And a little closer.

Here's the path below Josee's house going down to our spot by the water, among the wildflowers.

I must say it's awesome to fall asleep listening to the lake's gentle waves. Almost feels like being on a ship. ;-)

We'll be setting up a gazebo in the space behind the tent that will serve as a kinda dining room and living room.

Actually, last night as I was heading down to bed, the lake was so still that you could see the near-full moon reflected in it.

So peaceful...

As you'll see in my posts about the actual journey, it's been quite a challenging experience for our furry friends, especially DaPuss (cats are notorious for not traveling well). She's a trooper though, and made it to our destination. (I couldn't help but think of Don's story who lost one cat along the way when he moved from Quebec to BC back in the '80s! EEK) After all that moving around, she was glad to finally settle in one spot for more than a night or two. In fact, now she seems to feel comfortable and to really enjoy her new environment.

She likes to go ninja and hide amongst the shore bushes, particularly on the rock slabs warmed up by the sun.

Can you see her?

A pleasant surprise we've had traveling East was to find lilacs in bloom everywhere we went. (Lilac season was already over by the time we left the Okanagan.)

Don didn't waste time introducing Ti-Nours, my nephew's golden retriever, to raw foods by adding some chopped apples to his usual dog food. He wasn't too sure at first, but after glancing over at Kylo, he saw that it was okay. lol Now, he enthusiastically wolfs down his meal consisting of pulp from our morning juice, various veggie scraps, olive oil and some dog food.

Here's Don accompanying Ti-Nours to the lake. He just loves to go for a dip after his daily walk.

As for my favorite subject, food, Don and I have scouted the grocery stores in town in the past week, and overall the produce available is not as varied and is considerably more expensive than in BC. Being so close to the Okanagan - the fruit haven of Canada - we were spoiled in terms of freshness and prices. It will be a different story now that we're on the other side of the country. You can find a few organic items in the produce section of regular supermarkets, but definitely not for cheap. How I wish I had a garden to grow my own greens! *sigh* But it looks like there's hope! At the Saturday market, I met a local organic farmer who delivers weekly boxes of organic veggies to the community. We had a really great connection and it looks like we'll be doing some kind of barter in exchange for fresh yummy veggies and herbs. Yippee! What a relief! It will also be fun to play in a farmer's garden and learn a few growing tips.

The biggest shocker was in regards to nuts, seeds, dried fruits and other similar items I used to purchase in bulk. The only place you can find those in town are at the health food store where they are all pre-packaged, sometimes for double what we use to buy them for. Ouch! Thankfully, we've hauled 3 boxes full of various supplies, such as nuts, seeds, cacao products and superfoods so we should be okay for a while.

My sister Josee has always been very interested in health and open to trying new things. In fact, she's the one who turned me onto vegetarian cooking in the early '90s. When I came to her home 3 years ago to guide a raw retreat, she absolutely loved everything I prepared. She told me that she's been making herself fresh juices, fruit smoothies and raw soups on a regular basis since. (Yay raw!) She's a close friend of Chantale, who started the first raw restaurant in Quebec, 'Tout Cru Dans Le Bec', right here in Rouyn. No small feat considering how it's really in the boondocks! Chantale's resto closed down shortly after she moved to Nelson to start 'Rawfreshing' - her second raw deli, so Josee is thrilled to have an opportunity to discover more of the amazing possibilities that raw food prep has to offer.

This was taken during our first meal together.

Her friend, Fernand, is also really impressed with the recipes I've shared with them so far. In fact, they've asked Don and I to cater for perhaps as many as 30 people for 2 or 3 days during a pilgrimage walk (a bit like a mini-Compostelle) they're organizing next month between Rouyn and Ville-Marie. As strange as it may sound, over the last few years, my focus has been exclusively to share my passion for raw foods with the 'virtual world'. However, I'm feeling that something might be shifting in that area as well with this new phase. I'll definitely keep you posted...

On a different note, I'm turning 38 today.

I woke up to the best b-day gift ever: sunshine! What a treat as it's been raining virtually every day since we got here. We made the most of it: washed some clothes, went for a walk and, of course, did some sun worshipping. ;-)

Although Don and I don't really celebrate such occasions per se, thanks to Josee, we had a really special dinner and evening. The table was all set on the deck (we LOVE picnics!) but a huge rainstorm took us by surprise. The wind was so strong that for a moment we were even concerned the tent would be blown away! So we had a quick change of plan and moved everything inside.



We started off the meal with a raw Cream of Zucchini Soup. The main course was a mixed green salad with my new chia dressing and zucchini pasta with 2 different sauces: alfredo and an arugula almond pesto. The others also had Pacific wild salmon and potatoes grilled on the bonfire.

Josee treated us to a lovely sparkling apple juice made by a Quebec producer from Rougemont.

Mmmmmmm... Good stuff!

And the best part... Dessert!

You know me... I'll jump on every opportunity to whip up something rawesome and yummy. I usually make my decadent raw version of Strawberry Shortcake since my birthday is during strawberry season, but this time I decided to try a creation Joyce shared with us last week on RFC. I still had one young coconut left that I'd picked up in Ontario so it perfectly fit!

Strawberry Crumble Cake
Posted by Joyce on her Beautiful Living Food in Vermont blog

Use an 8 inch spring form pan

Crumble bottom and & topping
* 2 cups of pecans, not soaked
* 1 cup of dates, not soaked
* 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt or a bit less

Use a food processor with the S blade to process the pecans and sea salt until broken down into a very rough flour. Then add the dates and process until the mixture becomes crumbly. Don’t over process it.

“Grease” the pan lightly with coconut oil. Then add about 50 to 60% of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the pan. Set aside while you make the cake.

Cake
* 1 cup of young Thai coconut meat (I had mostly firm meat)
* 1 cup of unsoaked cashew pieces
* 1/2 cup of strawberries, chopped into small pieces
* 1/2 cup of thick coconut milk (blend meat and water from one small young Thai coconut with firm meat)
* 6 good sized dates, soaked for 20 minutes
* 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
* 1 1/2 scraped vanilla beans
* 2 teaspoons of psyllium powder
* 1 tablespoon and 1 1/4 teaspoons of agave syrup
* 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
* 2 cups of strawberries, chopped into small pieces

Use a food processor with the S blade to blend all the above ingredients except for the 2 cups of strawberries. Blend until well combined but not completely pureed. Transfer cake mixture to a big bowl and stir in the 2 cups of strawberries.

Add the cake mixture to the pan. With the crumble left, add about 1/2 of it onto the top of cake and press gently. Cut up a few more strawberries and place on top of crumble. Sprinkle the final bit of crumble on top, still letting the strawberries peak through.

Freeze cake until frozen solid. (about 6 hours or so). Then take cake out of freezer and remove sides of the spring pan. Put cake into the fridge and eat when thawed.

Strawberry sauce
* leftover coconut milk from above
* big handful of fresh strawberries or more
* agave syrup to taste

Blend everything up in the Vitamix until smooth.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I made a little less crumble mixture since I used my 7" pan.

~ I only had whole cashews so I ground them in the Vitamix before adding them to the food processor.

~ I didn't have quite enough young coconut meat for the cake batter so I replaced the amount missing with cashews which I also ground finely.

~ As my coconut milk was on the thin side, I added 1 tbs of melted coconut butter to the mixture.

~ I used 12 small dates (not Medjhool) and the batter wasn't quite sweet enough to my taste so I added a bit of agave.

~ Oh, and I had to skip the Sauce altogether for lack of young coconut.

Perhaps because of my subbing, the piece's tips collapsed a bit once thawed, but the flavor was awesome! Joyce's got a winner with this one.

Isn't it gorgeous?

Josee gave me a little pink plastic necklace and a yellow flower to wear. Made me feel like a little girl again! ;-)

We finished the evening listening to music and even dancing a bit in her living room.

Ah! What an amazing day! I feel so blessed as I really couldn't have hoped for a more perfect birthday!

Phfew, this has turned into a much longer post than I envisioned. I didn't expect dinner to turn into such a feast!

OK, time to hit the hay, but I promise to be back soon with all the details of our trip.

Bye for now!