Delightfully Raw Near Walla Walla: Part III

This is turning into a veritable marathon! All together I'll be writing something like 10 different posts about our time near Walla Walla! Definitely a record! ;-)

Alrighty, this is the last of my general posts about our adventures with Matt & Dawnen.

Raw Potluck

Every 4th Tuesday of the month their Church's health group likes to get together in order to share a raw potluck and exchange ideas and tips. Often times Matt does a little food demo but since we were in town I was given the honor.

Matt telling them a little about Don and I before passing the torch over to me.

 

My favorite thing to demonstrate are raw soups, as these are such a big staple in our diet. They're so simple and nutritious yet surprisingly few people are into them. It's also a good opportunity to pass on the info about the Omni blender, a great alternative to the more common Vitamix and Blendtec at a much more affordable price.

Notice Mr. Bean next to Donnie?

I could hardly believe the turn out; one of the largest potlucks we've attended! They were a wonderful group, so keenly interested and attentive.

 

Beanie was such a good boy. 

Brian made sure to keep him company and well entertained.

The potluck spread was both beautiful and bountiful!

You know how it is... Gotta document it all! ;-)

A yummy dish made with sprouted wild rice and marinated squash

Matt had brought his latest creation: a salad with a warm curry dressing. This photo was taken before he added the latter though, something he does just before serving.

Our contribution: Nacho Cheeze

Kale chips

Stuffed peppers

We were blessed with a few scrumptious desserts too!

 

Feasting away

Once our bellies were full we had some good conversations with several members of the group.

I was also asked to sign a few books. ;-)

Last Supper

For our last evening in Oregon we went over to Matt & Dawnen's trailer for dinner. He prepared lovely and original appetizers for us.

On a slice of tomato he placed a generous scoop of Tomato Reduction (see recipe below), followed by Coconut Yogurt (how-to coming up in another day or two.) He then finished off with a couple of pieces of Eggplant Bacon. Yum!

How To Make Tomato Reduction:
Place roughly chopped tomatoes in a blender container.

Add raw sweetener such as honey or agave, a little cold pressed olive oil, Celtic sea salt and a big handful of dried basil.

Blend on low using the tamper; you want to leave the mixture chunky, similar to salsa.

Pour mixture in a large Pyrex dish.

Add 2 cups of finely cubed onion and mix well.

Place dish in dehydrator on high heat for a while, stirring as soon as the top dries out. No worries, it won't cook the tomatoes as it will take a while for the actual temperature of the food to climb up due to the high water content.

When reduction gets to around 118 degrees (this is when an infrared thermometer comes in handy!), turn the dial down.

Continue reducing until the desired consistency is reached.

Matt's Notes:

~ You may need to use a metal scraper to mix the dried chunks back into the reduction and break it up into small pieces.

~ If you wish, you can stop the dehydration sooner and have a tomato spread or spaghetti sauce.

~ The sauce version freezes really well; simply warm up in the dehydrator.

Matt showed me how he makes yet another of his specialties - Veggie Stew (yep, I'll also be sharing his technique in an upcoming post) - which we enjoyed as the main course.

"Smile Carmi!" Don't know if you can tell, but I wasn't feeling too well that day as I was recovering from doing a liver flush.

Brian also joined us for the evening. As usual the animals were all over him.

Beanie's Back!
Mr. Bean had sooo much energy the last 3 or 4 days of our stay. It was nice to see him feeling better and his leg injuries healing.

Matt left the little guy with me one afternoon while he and Don went shopping. It was the first time that Beanie and Puss got to spend time together. He was like an energy bunny and kept wanting to play with her, something she wasn't sure what to make of. When he finally decided to settle down he of course took her favorite spot (on my stretched legs.) That didn't deter Puss though; she eventually made her way to my feet so that she could stretch from the other end. he he At some point their paws were nearly touching; it was such a sweet moment!
 

Time to Continue Our Journey
In the end we stayed parked on Matt and Dawnen's lawn for 4 weeks or so. Wow! I know it sounds like a long time, but it flew by so very quickly! Since we lived in our respective trailers it was as though we were neighbors for these few weeks. What a blessing to get a chance to be part of their lives for a short while and partake in the abundance of their garden and Matt's vast knowledge! It was an opportunity for us to expand our horizons on so many levels!

One last photo before we go...

Until next time, Matt Man!

Utah here we come!