We Like It Raw - Raw Food Goodness

Better than sex?

Now, I wouldn’t go as far as to claim that, but one of my former coworkers had everyone calling my usual potluck contribution by that name.

Of course, it wasn’t always referred to in such a mature fashion. Growing up, my mom used to make this simple, yet decadent, delight, calling it her “Chocolate Éclair Dessert.” You’ve probably had it yourself, once or twice (maybe more; one serving is never enough to satisfy most cravings for this indulgence. It’s highly addictive).

It’s so easy to make, too. The original version layers a mixture of instant vanilla pudding and Cool Whip topping (makes me think of this song), sandwiched between rows of traditional graham crackers and topped with some kind of chocolate icing (either homemade in a double boiler or scooped out of a Duncan Hines container). Oh my! Chill until firm, and you’re in for a sweet treat.

The dish was such a hit with the ladies and gents, alike, that most of the staff kept hinting to me to bring it to each and every food-related occasion in the office (birthdays, baby showers, boss’s day, etc.).

So, that’s what I did … until someone else decided to show up with the same dish (as I said before; you’ve probably already tried it. Did you think my mom was really the first to come up with it? Just look at all the versions of the recipe posted on this site alone).

The other girl bringing this enticing recipe must not have gotten the memo; that was supposed to be my specialty (the key word being “was”). But, not anymore, that was the last time I brought that dessert to a work-related event.

No hard feelings, though. It gave me an opportunity to spread my wings and become more experimental (in the kitchen that is). And, when I did get a chance to rekindle things with my tried-and-true simple pleasure, it was pure bliss (I’d never take this dish for granted again). I came back for more every time.

However, since becoming raw, this happy ending was reduced to just a tasteful memory. That is, until this weekend. The love affair is back on with this raw version, which you have to experience for yourself. Be careful or you’ll be hooked, too.

This calls for a little mood music; now here we go:

Late Night Snack Crackers

I don’t know if I was inspired by a late night snack attack, my prior love of vending machine cuisine (if you can call it that; it’s no surprise after my pop-tarts post) or the byproduct of all this juicing going on around me (juice feasters, save your pulp … you, too, Philip), but here is my “cheesy” contribution to the WLIR community this week.

Actually, my infomercial addiction played a leading role in the development of this post.

When we first started dating, Matthew and I used to stay up into the wee hours of the a.m. watching these hypnotic (you know what I’m talking about; you’ve been glued to the television, thinking, “Hey, I could use one of those.”) displays, basically as an excuse to spend more time together (although I think we got a little caught up in them, too).

Our favorite infotainment at the time was watching the Juiceman. Believe me, you’d know him if you saw him. We must have seen him a dozen times, cracking up laughing with each and every viewing (Jim Carey even played his own version of this character on an episode of “In Living Color”).

I think I nearly peed my pants with a case of the giggles the first time I saw one of his juicers (this one being The Juiceman Jr.) in an actual store (no, I’ve never actually picked up a phone to order one of those “As Seen on T.V.” items, but I do own my fair share of them. For example, The Magic Bullet blender is a traveling raw foodie’s best friend). I thought about it for like two seconds (I was already brainwashed by all those hours of zoning in on its ad) before deciding to take it home with me.

Matthew and I just had to see if we could really juice a whole cantaloupe, rind and all. To our delight, it delivered. We spent the rest of the evening finding other whole fruits and veggies to pulverize through our new toy.

After that, the juicer was left to collect dust, until I discovered raw foods. I started pulling it out again to make juice to drink and use in recipes. But, as I got more creative with my raw fare, I began to use it more for the pulp than the juice.

For example, I made these cracker sandwiches, similar to the prepackaged Lance varieties in vending machines or sold at convenience stores (they were a typical late night snack for me). One resembles the peanut butter-filled, orange-colored cheese crackers, while the other is a throwback to the more sophisticated (in comparison to the PB ones) seasoned crackers with an herb cheese (I think they contained chives) in the middle. Happy snacking : )

“Can’t Hardly Wait” for Pop-Tarts

Now, this may not seem to be a romantic post for you, but it is for me. I’ll explain.

Around the time that my husband and I first started dating, a little movie called “Can’t Hardly Wait” came out (we watched it so many times since then; I think I lost count as to exactly how many). Although a far cry from Oscar-worthy, it struck a cord with us.

Maybe it was the music (now that would be a “cord”). The soundtrack is packed with songs from our youth (you can even hear “Lucas with the Lid Off” during one of the party scenes. You have to be within a certain age-bracket to remember that tune). We both own a copy of it.

Sad, but true, it also has a Barry Manilow theme running through it. I hate to admit this guilty pleasure, but I own his greatest hits. (Did I just admit that?) I think it stems from his Super TV (this was pre-cable for those not old enough to have experienced it) concert I watched as little kid and later seeing Jennifer Aniston’s character sing “Copacabana” in a fluffy pink bridesmaid dress in an episode of “Friends.”

Anyway, I’m getting really off track. The main reason we could relate to the film was that we really could relate to it. The main characters were, in fact, us.

Always be prepared: Shannon's 'Better than Girl Scout cookies'

[ Discuss Shannon's wonderful recipes on GI2MR ]

This was something I learned years ago in Girl Scouts (yes, I wore the green sash and sold those deliciously addictive cookies), and it still applies today. So, after a productive weekend in the kitchen, I’m prepared with a freezer full of raw versions of those familiar cookie favorites for whenever a craving may arise (like right now; hold on a sec … okay, I’m back … munch, munch, munch).

Speaking of cravings (sorry, didn’t mean to be typing with a mouth full of cookies; jealous are you?), I’d been dreaming about these seasonal treats for quite some time now. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t actually tasted a Girl Scout cookie in years. But, all that changed just a couple days ago.

With a little creativity and some patience (until the end of my ambitious task, where I found myself short on time; I’ll explain later), I concocted some unbaked versions of the five best-sellers: Thin Mints (25%), Samoas®/Caramel deLites™  (19%), Peanut Butter Patties®/Tagalongs® (13%), Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-si-dos™ (11%), and Shortbread/Trefoils (9%), according to the Girl Scouts website (the cookies even have their own MySpace page).

Now, although I said I’d been thinking about them for a while, I didn’t exactly take the time to formulate the best game plan (but what else is new?). In true Shannon form, I just went straight to my kitchen laboratory to start the experimentation.

I tossed a little of this, a touch of that and whatever else I had on hand into my mini food processor (a nearly antique appliance that I inherited from my Nanny; oh how I miss her sometimes) to form the dough (It’s rare that I actually follow a recipe or think my own through first; this is how I roll … the dough, in this case).

Then, I formed the dough into cookies, first rolling it into a sheet and then cutting out the desired shapes. I “baked” them in my dehydrator (I have two old-school models, which proves you don’t have to have the top-of-the-line appliances to have fun in the kitchen) until crisp, topped some of them with my own version of their usual fillings and then added the chocolate coatings and drizzles (I make it sound so easy).

The first few steps were a breeze, until my lack of time management nearly destroyed the end result. But, as you’ve heard me say on my blog before, sometimes you gotta “make it work” (I learned that line from Tim Gunn of “Project Runway;” love that show).

So my offering for you this week consists of three of the five recipes (you guessed it; I’m taking about the three cookies that are not coated in chocolate. You’ll have to visit my blog later for the rest of the story and the other two recipes). Drumroll, please …

Ladies and gents, I give you the “rawified” Trefoil, Do-si-do and Samoa (my personal fav) ....

Soup for supper

Who says “supper?” Well, I just did. It reminds me of my grandmother, who would refer to our evening meal with that way. She would make spaghetti with meat sauce (thank goodness I can make this raw) for me and my sister on Friday nights while my parents went bowling (oh yeah, I’m a small town girl; now I bowl with my son using a Wii controller).

My other grandmother also made spaghetti for us, but usually with pork chop pieces mixed in the sauce. This is not exactly something I wanted for dinner, or this case “supper,” tonight (being a raw “bee”gan* and all).

Now, she also made a really good vegetable soup, which unfortunately she never wrote down, so we can only guess at what she put into it. Maybe that’s why I make all my soups this way now.
But, just for you, I’ll document what went into tonight’s soup.

Shannonmarie’s Monday Night Bowl of Soup or Souper Bowl
For the souper veggies

For the souper veggies...

• Thinly sliced carrot (about a ¼ cup, but you know I’m just estimating after the fact)
• Thinly sliced celery (you guessed it, ¼ cup?)
• Chopped green beans (about ¼ cup; I’m sensing a trend)
• Thinly (there we go again; I’ll explain later) sliced zucchini chunks (tricked you this time, I know it was about 1/3 of the zucchini)
• Thinly sliced yellow squash chunks (about 1/3 of your average-size squash)
• Thinly sliced grape or cherry tomatoes
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Fresh ground pepper
• Sea salt
• Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (works in a pinch,literally; contains onions, black pepper, celery seed, cayenne, parsley, basil,marjoram, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, cumin, mustard,coriander, garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato granules, lemon juice powder and oil of lemon – not bad for $1.99)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl, and move on to making the broth.

For the souper broth...

• A handful of carrot chunks (¼ or maybe ½ cup)
• A couple of the mini celery stalks, complete with leaves, found inside the celery hearts
• Some chunks of sweet yellow onion (maybe an eighth of a medium-size onion)
• 1 Tbsp. miso
• 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (I could smell my non-raw hubby’s pizza when I added this)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• Fresh ground pepper
• Cayenne, to taste
• Sea Salt
• A pinch of fennel seeds (again, I think I was inspired by his pizza)
• More Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute
• Enough WARM (this is soup) water to yield 2 cups of broth (maybe a cup once the veggies are added)

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until liquefied. Skim the foam off the top (believe me, you don’t want foamy broth;this is soup, not a veggie bubble bath), and pour over the souper veggies. Enjoy!

I’d like to note that since this soup is raw, it is important to either very thinly slice your veggies (that is, unless you like your soups crunchy) or marinate/dehydrate them first to mimic that familiar cooked texture (this is a method I use in my chunkier soups like my Rawdorably Raw Cream of Broccoli Soup (from my Rawdorable blog).

Which reminds me; I haven’t properly introduced myself. For those of you unfamiliar with my blog, I’m Shannonmarie, a.k.a. Rawdorable. You may have seen my gingerbread house posted on this site around Christmas time, thanks to our friend Dhrumil, who has asked me to start posting once a week here, too.

Due to the short notice, I decided to start with a recipe that can be done on the fly, shall we say. Take a look in your fridge, toss the veggies you find in a bowl (before you add the liquid, it’s like making a chunky salad), blend up a broth with the seasonings of your choice (take advantage of any fresh herbs you have on hand) and pour it over top your veggie bowl (almost like an overabundance of dressing, but better). I am anxious to hear what you have come up with.

Next week, I hope to have something for your sweet tooth. Stay tuned :-)

* “Bee”gan: a word used in Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen to describe those who are nearly vegan, but include bee products, such as honey and bee pollen, in their diet. Last I heard, Dhrumil is one, too.

Related

• Shannonmarie on GI2MR

Raw Gingerbread House

by Shannon of Rawdorable

Can you believe this house is totally raw? Wow. Shannon really out did herself here. Amazing work.

Here's Shannon's post on constructing the house and here's her pre-post on how she plans to make it happen. The pre-post has great insights on what Shannon used for icing (inspiration from Sunny Raw Kitchen) and her expectations for the project. It turns out that even Shannon was surprised at how amazingly well the house turned out.

"As you can see, patience pays off; I managed to build a house that exceeded my expectations (I was just hoping to end up with something that resembled a house in one way or another). I was happy with the first picture, but then I took it a step further and added a walkway and some trees."

Well done indeed.

More from Shannon at the Rawdorable blog