"50 First Weeks" Reintegrating, Colorful Chia and Herbal Protectors

Happy Monday! It still is Monday up in this top-left-hand corner...

I missed sharing a blog this weekend. I had plenty to say, but not the time nor energy to say it. On that treadmill right now where a couple days of vortex and tragedy leave me behind the curve of the constantly accruing work schedule.

Well, and I'm pleased for the "50 First Weeks" theme for my Monday posts: starting things over is definitely the energy I'm needing. My previous "new beginnings" were ergonomics and housekeeping, and they're going to need to be "firsts" for this week all over again. The external keyboard has arrived, for an improvement, but getting up to stretch regularly has gone to nothing, and ditto housekeeping. So, those remain on the resolution pile. I also want to do more about exercise. I was working out like crazy until relatively recently, every day. Even now, I still spend at least 30 minutes a day on the rebounder and another 20 or so with my 5 Tibetans and others. And I'm not eating much. But it still seems like I'm not doing enough exercise--I'm not doing those 15-30 minute abs or resistance workouts every morning before lunch. I'm only hiking about once a week. Time to kick it back up, if only I can make the time.

I took a break from work today, and went to help clean my friend Jeanie's house. Phil and Tom are returning home tomorrow, and she wanted the house in order. I'm surely not the world's best cleaner, but I'm so honored to be able to help, to be asked to help, in this time. 

When I have no appetite, I tend to put a lot of colorful powders in my food, a bit of this, a bit of that, trying to keep it nutritious.

This rather minimal bowl of chia pudding is colored up with goji berry powder, spirulina, turmeric, and also some slippery elm powder to soothe my tummy. And some lovely mulberries.

I imagine my digestion flaming in different colors, like Heraclitus' God, altering as fire does when mixed with spices and assuming the name of each in turn.
But I'm burned out on chia pudding. A shame, as it's so convenient and so portable. Even just one tablespoon for breakfast with some of those powders is too much. I never used to burn out on foods. On the other hand, looking at my year of breakfasts last year, maybe I do burn out!

I make my herbal teas and see myself surrounded with their goodness. Two roots, two leaves:
Rhodiola, the grounding rose, the brown rose of earth and connectedness;
Astragalus, named for the knuckle bones they used to use in games of dice: life is full of chance and change
Scutellaria, aka skullcap--my shield, my cap blinkering me from the scarier ghosts in my peripheral vision
Gynostemma--the woman's scepter, I see myself in solemn procession, the scepter garlanded with unspun wool.

Sending love and appreciation to all...

Tragedy, Time, and Coming Out the Other Side; Condolence Cupcakes

On Wednesday morning, our dear friend Tom was called with the terrible news that his son had died in his sleep. The first thing he did was call Phil, and Phil accompanied him to break the news to Jeanie and bring her home from work. Yesterday morning around 6.15, I drove Phil and Tom to the airport: zero degrees and whiteout, so much snow in the air, but the little plane took them up to Anchorage to catch the big plane down to Seattle, where they are now, taking care of things.

Needless to say, it's a huge loss and shock: a new spin on the world around which we all change our plans. Saving graces: both Tom and Jeanie had had upbeat phone conversations with Luke the night before, and knew he was in good spirits. And I don't know if this is a saving grace or not, but my read is that this actually happened a long time ago, that the way Tom and Jeanie have been living their life for some time already reflects it as fact. Which means, in a way, that he's still here. We all sense that.  Tom and Phil down in WA are meeting hordes of people who loved Luke, who were touched by his generous spirit. I've barely gotten to see Jeanie since they left, there's been such an overflow of support from all the many other people in this community who love Tom and Jeanie.

Tom is so glad to have Phil with him--and isn't it a compliment to Phil that he's the first person Tom thought of to call. Encomia of Phil are pouring in from all quarters at the moment, and I hope he hears them, and recognizes how appreciated he is by so many.

I haven't slept since we heard the news, but I think I will tonight. I watched it snow all day and all night yesterday, as I immersed myself in work and reading, and trying to write something...into this morning...

 Our "bunny fence" isn't worth much with the snow up above it. I shoveled.

I confess that the nonlinearity of timing this exhibited--my certainty that it happened long ago--sent me into a tailspin: if "a" doesn't follow "b," then it won't make any difference if I don't take my meds, or eat, or sleep, and do take pills I shouldn't take... Going nowhere good. But by some other incredible serendipity, the phone rang first thing this morning, and it was the Naturopath's office, about something else. They got me to come in, to get my chemistry set right again, talked me down from paranoia about time being all out of order...So grateful both to my ND himself and to his wonderful office manager. I didn't want it to be all about me. And now, although I don't feel great, I'm ok, and although I'm still puzzled about the time thing, I'm not totally freaked out. I still don't understand, but I'm more likely to be able to be there to support Phil now.

I made a simple dinner for all of us on Wednesday night, the day the news hit. Short notice and busy day, and I wanted to make something sweet to finish with. In this situation, the temptation is to make something overwhelmingly sugary that I wouldn't dream of eating myself, and I did make a batch of Phil's energy bars, which are protein powder, nuts, craisins, oats in a matrix of peanut butter and honey boiled together, partly to be journey food for them. But I decided I also wanted to serve something raw, light, delicious, beautiful, and gentle.
So I made these "Condolence Cupcakes:" they're inspired by Shannonmarie's Lemon Rawtess Cupcakes, although I made them mini and didn't put pretty frosting and piping on top.

3/4 cup cashews
3/4 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
pinch salt
zest of one lemon
Blend all these until fine.
Add:
1/3 cup date paste or finely chopped dates
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whisk in until well incorporated.
I ground the nuts with the "S" blade of the Cuisinart, but then, for incorporating the dates, I used the little "dough" blade, the plastic "S" shaped one that isn't sharp, to keep the texture fluffy. When it can be formed into a dough, fill the mini cupcake cups with little hollowed-out "cakes," reserving some 'dough' to top them.
For the filling, I used some frosting leftover from our Anniversary Carrot Cake (recipe is there).

Just a little blob of frosting in the hollowed-out cashew-coco-lemon 'dough' (like in the picture above), and then cover it with some reserved 'dough.'

It made about fifteen. And they were so well appreciated! Apparently some of them are in WA with Phil and Tom.
The lemon symbolizes the sadness, wrapped up in sweetness.

Today the snow finally stopped, and when I went downtown my copy of the Georgia Review, featuring a poem by a good friend from the program, no less, had finally arrived. I'd never seen the sky stippled white, gray and blue in quite this way before and had to stop to try and capture it, even though I could feel the marrow of my jaw freezing. Things are looking up.

Resolving to Write, Spousal Support, and That Slaw

We're having a blizzard again. Life is picturesque.

Last night, sixteen writers gathered in the conference room of the Homer Library for a "Resolve to Write" event, under the aegis of the literary organization 49 Writers and the Friends of the Homer Library.

As usual when a group of writers gets together, there was a feeling of camaraderie and of "being with one's tribe," as well as a sense of bumping up against intense ambitions germane to one's own. Some of us were present for the event last year, and so were able to check in on how successful we had been with our resolutions, and there were new faces too. And we all knew writers not present at the event. I'd say writers are a sustainable resource in Homer!

We were in a space of mutual witnessing, of hearing and being heard. Some of us had books at the publishers' in New York, in their final phase of editing. Some had bold resolutions to get a whole body of work published, or to submit work to publishers every week. Some of us had just applied to MFA programs; some of us had just commenced MFA programs. Some wanted to get better at using social media to promote our work, others sought advice on how to avoid the distractions of the internet. We discussed problems of potential audience--how to choose it, how to allow it to choose you--and of preferring to read a genre other than one's chosen writing genre. We shared suggestions for online sources of inspiration (including, ironically, on how to get off the internet), and recommendations of journals to read and subscribe to. We laughed, often.

As you probably noticed from the picture above, Phil was one of the attendees! He confessed to writing mostly for fun, and mostly letters to friends. He enjoyed copious brownies, and didn't say much else the rest of the evening. He says he came because he's nosy!--really, he was there to be supportive, mostly of me (and to see what kinds of people I get to hang out with), but also of the community and the library.

We haven't been doing that much together lately, because I've been so very busy, and because Phil's regular outdoor adventures are ambitious undertakings demanding more time and energy than I can spare right now. It was an interesting change of pace to spend an evening together, along with a group of variously familiar and unfamiliar people, and to compare notes afterwards about what we thought about what was said.

More troubling to me, though, was Phil's reaction to my own stated "resolution" this year. Funny how when your spouse comes into your "home turf" that's totally separate from the relationship, he feels dismayed at things you think are reasonable and normal.

I noted that although I absolutely regard myself as a writer first and foremost, and feel very "seen" and supported in my various writing groups within the community, there are a few people who regard me as a "wannabe" rather than a bona fide writer. And I stated my desire to banish the possibility of that perception by doing whatever it takes, in terms of submitting and generally putting myself out there.

After the meeting, Phil expressed deep concern at this statement of mine. His worry was that I'd shifted my focus from the internal satisfaction of doing the best I can as a writer to the external badges and trophies of recognition.

I understand his concern, but I don't believe that's what I've done. If there are people who don't recognize me as a writer, then there's something amiss with how I'm projecting my intention out into the world. So to me, getting the whole picture, internal and external, on track, is part and parcel of doing the best job I can. As my inspirational friend Erin pointed out to me last night, submitting our work is another aspect of literary citizenship. And of course, it could also be true, as Phil pointed out, that those who won't acknowledge me as a writer have a problem with their perception. Still, it shows me that I could do more.

I'm grateful to live in a town that fosters this kind of group energy, that features such an inspirational cast of writers to whom I can look up, and I'm honored to help facilitate the creative energy wherever and however I can.

Some more from our picturesque day--snow filigree on a deceased thyme plant...

...and the broom of winter.

Now for that Thai 'slaw recipe I promised in my previous post. It really is so simple, if you have the right ingredients.
Veggies
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced fine (best with a mandolin) 
1 large carrot, grated
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
cilantro--as much as you like, roughly chopped

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons deseeded tamarind, soaked in water for 30 minutes beforehand
2 dates, pitted and soaked along with the tamarind
1 teaspoon miso + 1 teaspoon sea salt (if you like tamari, can do 2-3 tablespoons tamari)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar
1 teaspoon red Thai chilli paste (the kind that's an amalgam of lemongrass, galangal, ginger, and garlic. I'd rather make my own, but haven't been able to buy galangal, or, except rarely, lemongrass, in town.)
2 teaspoons lime juice (lemon works also)
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil (It really is worth it to use the extra virgin rather than the expeller pressed for this recipe: the coconut fragrance of the extra virgin gives the whole palate of the dish a wonderful lightness.

Enjoy!

"50 First Weeks:" Chinese New Year and Backyard Wildlife

It's still Monday here! (I know I'm late getting my post out today....) Welcome to the second of "50 First Weeks." And Happy Year of the Dragon! Oh, and one other "happy" thing this week: I got a prize for my participation in "6 Weeks of Bliss:" for my "community cheerleading" via Facebook shares! Now I need to get used to the idea of myself as a community cheerleader!

Before I talk about how this week will be a "first week" for me, I want to share some backyard wildlife from up here, together with the joyous pronouncement that the days are definitely getting longer.

This big guy by our outhouse has some vestiges of sunrise in the background, but barely 9am and it's definitely daylight.

But what do you think of this little guy?

 Too cute for words, but he thinks he is the most vicious, dangerous, fearless villain. He's a "least weasel," or ermine, and it's probably not such a good thing that he's taken up residence under our cabin. Weasels have a habit of tunneling through insulation and reducing its effectiveness.

Here's the moose again. This one's a bull--his antlers have fallen off and you can see the stubs, but maybe not in the picture. Somehow that picture (taken from inside the cabin) brings home to me how close to the edge of the bluff we are!

And one more with the sun coming up.

Last week was my "first week" of picking back up on housekeeping and getting the house in order a little better. But it was also my first week teaching, and of course, there were glitches with the new software almost every day, and a whole group of people to get to know through the veil of the internet, and grading, and.... Truthfully, I think every week will be a "first week" picking up on getting the house in order. Which seems apt, given the entropic inevitability of everything ending up in a mess all over again!

Given the many hours I'm spending at the computer, though, between teaching a web-based course, writing, and my other jobs--and blogging, of course!--this week is going to be the "first week" I finally get serious about ergonomics. I've regarded the injunctions to stop and stretch every 20 minutes max, to do my foam roll and other physical therapy exercises, to adjust my equipment to improve my posture, all as things that I'd probably resolve to do "some time in the future." Meanwhile, my back, neck, shoulders and hands continue to be stressed and strained. Why not now? Especially with this "50 First Weeks" idea--if I don't do well this week, next week will be another opportunity to start afresh.

I've already ordered an external keyboard, so I'll be able to put the laptop at eye level and type comfortably. Um, I forgot to order a mouse at the same time. Duh?! Probably not too hard to get one locally. Oh, and lots of hardback books while I was at it ordering, so that I could make a good tower for the computer to sit on and have good reading for when I take a break ;) I spent much of today standing at the counter with the computer perched atop a pile like that.

This is something I've procrastinated taking seriously for so long, it seems seriously daunting. But the "50 First Weeks" idea helps to detract from that apprehension, and really, it shouldn't be that hard to tear myself away and stretch (or pee, for that matter)!

I hope that my choices for the "first weeks" don't seem unrealistic or overambitious. I'll be glad to do better at ergonomics.

I'm going to leave it at that for tonight, but I promise I'll be back by Wednesday, and will even share this Thai-flavored 'slaw (yes, of course it involves carrots!) that was so good it had to be made twice (and I still almost forgot to take a picture)! OK--now I should go stretch!

Much love. What will be a "first" for you this week?

Five Things about ME? (final Bliss Challenge)

As another week draws to its close, the days are lengthening! Somehow it got to 6pm here, and the sky is still full of deepening oranges and purples.

The last one of "Bliss Connect's" Six Weeks of Bliss Challenges is a tough one for me. We're asked to share Five Things about ourselves that our readers may not know.

Well, I figure most of you guys know most of the peculiar scoop on me--my word and poetry obsessedness, my remote bluff-edge-tiny-cabin-Alaska domicile, my marriage with a husband whose kids are older than me, my good friendship with his daughter and ex-wife, my gluten-free, dairy-free, animal-products-avoiding food ways, my incapability of following a recipe, my obsession with herbs, my belief that any and every favorite food dish can be converted into a (green) smoothie.

So, how to come up with Five Unusual Things?
Try these on for size...
1) Although I'm left-handed, and generally left-sided, I'm partially deaf in my left ear. I had fluid buildup in my ears as a little kid, and at the time, the waiting list for the necessary operation was two-to-three years--long enough for some permanent nerve damage, fortunately only in one ear.

2) I know the Isha Upanishad by heart. In Sansrkit as well as English. My dad was studying Sanskrit when I was learning to talk, and he tended to practice out loud. I picked up all kinds of extended passages, and still have them in my head. My school had some interest in those subjects as well, and when I was six years old, we had to memorize the Isha Upanishad in Sanskrit--and a few years later, in English, so that we'd have a clue what we were saying. I wonder whether any of my classmates still remember it too? (I think I might have been the only one who actually got it memorized.)

3) I almost became a professional musician. Despite the hearing loss, I was a very serious Classical musician through my second year of grad school. At one point, while I was an undergrad and taking music lessons at one of the London conservatories at the same time, my teacher encouraged me to start auditioning for English Horn positions in serious orchestras! When I decided to do Grad School in academic studies instead, my dear friend Nick, a wonderful conductor, cried. He said, "Who else is going to play English Horn?" (Actually, he said "cor anglais," because that's what it's called in British. And yes, I played oboe too.)

4) I have a persistent auditory memory. My current facebook profile pic commemorates my headstand rendition of a poem during a skit at our last MFA Residency. What you might not know is that when I was an avid oboist, I once memorized a whole piece without playing it once until I performed it for a workshop! It wasn't a perfect performance, but it didn't stop, either. On the other hand, I do not remember everything everyone says perfectly, so if I get in an argument with you, don't let me say "You said xxxx: I remember exactly what you said!"

5) If my life had panned out slightly differently, I might have become an interpreter. Translating is still my favorite job, and I can't wait to start doing literary translation also. I'm reading so many poetry books at the moment, but a volume that arrived in my mailbox just a couple days ago gave me so much delight.

It's a bilingual Anthology of Modern Greek poetry! I work with Ancient Greek on a daily basis, but I adore Modern Greek too, and it's been a while since I encountered it.
I opened the book at random and read in Greek, glancing over occasionally to see if I agreed with the translation:

"The dawn smelled of thyme:

it was the sprightly little Faun, who woke

and put on his cap of bright-gold sun

and rode his gust of wind down to the sea.

"This is the place where I was born."

(My translation is a little different from what's in the book.) And I was enthralled.

Tell me something I don't know about you?

Parsnip Rice BUT Why "Raw Versions" of Cooked Favorites will Never Catch On

The view from here... The beach is frozen, with ocean water freezing on top of snow. The sun is bright, blue-sky gorgeous, about ten degrees. It's been like this for a week since the big blizzard. Cold, but so beautiful.

I have a raw "parsnip rice" recipe to share today, but also some reflections on why raw versions of familiar cooked dishes will never catch on. Phil is teaching me a lot!

Why "Raw Versions" will Never Catch On

I'm weird, and I've never had "cravings" for traditional "comfort" cooked foods in the traditional sense. I remember my poor friend Stacy, one time when I was suggesting that she could create a raw substitute for a craving, trying to get it through my head that "raw pizza isn't pizza!"

Well, if a dedicated raw foodist felt that way, what about a person who has no interest in focusing on raw foods at all and thinks the whole idea is a crock, but is open to tasting the concoctions his odd partner creates?

Phil's reaction to the "parsnip pilau" recipe (shared below): "It's nice, but the texture's not my favorite. It's all chopped down, sort of like rice, and I prefer vegetable salads to have more texture." 

You see the problem?

It'll still be a vegetable salad, no matter how you dress it up, no matter what fancy name you give it. The fact that it was "like rice" was actually a negative for Phil, because to him, it was still a vegetable salad. The same held when I brought a raw lasagna to a gathering one time. Everyone adored it, and everyone referred to it as "a salad."

For me, this isn't a problem. For me, "a rose by any other name..."--I don't care what you call it so long as it tastes good. But for people who are used to eating "anything and everything," it seems things need to live up to the billing established over a lifetime of knowing, for example, what "carrot cake" is supposed to be like.

Yes, even the wonderful carrot cake didn't meet with Phil's discerning texture sensor. That nut milk pulp: it's fattier than regular flour, but maybe it's also more fibrous. He complained of a fibrousness in the texture, said it felt like "eating chaff!" More for me, I guess. But otherwise, raw desserts are the only exception, in that people do recognize them as desserts, as genuine "pies," etc. Although as you'll recall from my "Grover Pie" post, even the desserts are subject to misnomers...

For people who eat a diet centered around grains and meat and dairy, vegetable and nut-based concoctions are never going to fool them. 

My response is to be more careful with what I call something, and I'm also looking for ideas on how to make raw cakes less "pulpy" (when I can, I'll experiment with a food mixer and see if that helps).

Parnip Pilau
We all love parsnips here, and the last time I roasted some, I nibbled on the raw ends and thought it would be lovely to make a raw "rice." Organic parsnips don't exist here, but when I got some in my Full Circle box, I thought it would be a great opportunity to do it raw.

Of course, I couldn't resist including a carrot in there too!

Parsnip-Carrot "Pilau" (raw, vegan, light)

"The Rice"

2 medium parsnips

1 large carrot

Chop the veggies into large pieces, and process them in a food processor with the "S" blade until fine.

Put in a bowl and set aside.

"Curry Sauce"

1/2 cup nut milk

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon flax seed meal

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon miso

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon lecithin granules (or teaspoon liquid lecithin)

1 teaspoon maca (optional)

1 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Blend everything together--the nice thing about this sauce recipe is that you can do it fine in an underpowered blender. I did it with my little immersion blender.

Pour over the veggies and stir well together. To make even more "pilau" like, consider adding raisins, pistachios, almonds, pine nuts... (I didn't, but it would be good that way too.)

I found this delicious combined with some homemade kim chee...

 And wrapped in a lettuce leaf. On top is just a smear of the eggplant dip I made a while back.

So, it's a "pilau," but I wrapped it up in a lettuce leaf like I do everything!

What do you think? Will "raw versions" ever catch on? What should we do about it if not? 

And any nut pulp/chaff suggestions welcome too!

"50 First Weeks;" Housekeeping, Body-Keeping and Milk Thistle

Thanks for all the kind comments about that carrot cake. I loved it and was proud of it, and have pieces for all of you if only I could figure out how to send them!

Last night, we watched 50 First Dates, courtesy of some wonderful friends.

It put some ideas into my head, although it wasn't my favorite movie ever. Quite a bit of the humor was stereotyping/demeaning, but it was sweet to see Hawaii, the story is heartwarming, there were some very funny moments...and the whole premise brings up a really interesting hypothesis--what would it be like to live life starting anew every day?

Of course, actions have consequences, but what if we get to start over each morning nonetheless, to create our love afresh every day? It's an exciting thought, and it gave me an idea. You know what? This is already the third week of January. That means there are 50 weeks left of this year! How about we make them "50 First Weeks?" Every week can be the first week of "something." I will aim to make my Monday post each week dedicated to this idea of renewal.

Housekeeping and Body-keeping Dilemmas
This is my "First week of better housekeeping." I've mentioned here before that I'm more clutter-tolerant than average, and fortunately (or not), live with an equally clutter-tolerant person (although we've both recognized that we're more tolerant of our own clutter than of each other's). I also shared that I was making some strides in organization and tidying, and even in making it part of a routine.

Well, I slipped. Things lapsed during my trip to Israel, and since I got back, I've just been too busy with course design to pick it back up. Classes start tomorrow(!) but I made the course live over the weekend, taking some of the climactic pressure off tomorrow. And today, I recorded, edited and produced one lecture and edited another, but also, I dusted! I swept! I let go a plant that had died and had been shedding in my workspace for a couple weeks.

My workout routines often involve interludes with the dustpan and brush after I come up from a pushup coated and can't stand it, but it felt really good to get some of the more persistent dust out, so we don't have to sneeze when we reach under the desk! And getting back to doing this helps me to do it more.

Now that you're thoroughly grossed out, I also confess that it's hard for me to keep up my body-keeping! Over the last few years, I've finally developed reasonably consistent hair-brushing habits. I used to think there was no point, as my hair is so tangly, it needs brushing again almost immediately. Now, I accept that it looks better if it's been brushed. But I still lose the habit, sometimes when I'm depressed, sometimes when I'm too busy, sometimes I know not why. Having no hot water or shower here can make it easy to end up unwashed, also.

And how often should a person change her clothes, and her bed linen? I don't know how I got to be close to  my mid-thirties without figuring out these mysteries.

One more "organizational" thing I've started this "first week" is to put two or three people to email on my "must do" list each day. As busy as I've been, despite keeping up with the blog, I've really slipped on some of my personal email, and my inbox is out of control with messages from people whom I care about, to which I haven't responded. It feels good to correct that.

One thing I do know about body-keeping is that those carrots I'm so obsessed with are also good for the liver, and that a well-supported liver is a smart idea for stressful times and dusty houses. I've been enjoying my carrot slaw for breakfast about every other day, especially delectable those days when I had nut milk around, and a recent super-charge addition has been milk thistle seeds! You can see a couple of the little guys just to the right of the spoon.

I've talked about milk thistle before at least once, and what a good liver support it is. The potent components are mostly alcohol-extracted, but I've also read that eating the seeds is one of the best ways to assimilate the silymarin compounds which are the good stuff. So, I've been soaking a few milk thistle seeds in the brew that the shredded carrot sits in overnight. I also put them in my chia puddings. They're very crunchy but not in an offensive way, and very mild tasting.

Are you up for "50 First Weeks?"

About that Carrot Cake

I promised to share more about the anniversary raw carrot cake I made...

...and then of course I headed out to the party without my camera, so didn't get to show the cake in its beauty!
This pic is from after I'd already put it back in the box with the ring around it, which knocked lots of the frosting off...

 And here is a piece missing the frosting on the side...

 But here's a "repaired" piece I'm taking to friends tonight.

I think it's very pretty!

What I did
This is basically the Ginger Carrot Cake recipe from Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw Desserts, with some tweaks, and I made up a lemon-cream (cashew) cheese frosting instead of the ginger frosting offered there.

The tweaks on the cake? As you can see, I used goji berries, whereas the recipe calls for raisins. I love raisins, but there were at least four raisin-haters around the table, so I respected that. I left out the walnuts and pecans because, just like some people don't like raisins, I can't stand nut pieces in baked goods. I put about a half cup of shredded coconut instead. Also, I mixed the spices with the wet ingredients, thinking that they would meld better that way, and used whole, grated ginger and nut milk instead of ginger and apple juices.

Here's my recipe--it's different enough from Kenney's that I feel ok posting it:
Gingery Carrot Cake
Dry Ingredients:
8 cups nut pulp (mine was a combination of almond, hazel and brazil nut milks, with a little sorghum flour because I only had 7 cups)
2 1/2 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped goji berries

Wet Ingredients:
3 cups date paste
1/3 cup irish moss gel
3/4 cup nut milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 inches fresh ginger, finely grated (even if you have a Vitamix, it's worth doing this)
1 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/8 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon lecithin

Blend together until smooth all the wet ingredients save the last two. Then, add the coconut oil and lecithin, and blend again.

Mix together the nut pulp and carrot. Gradually add in the wet ingredients, mixing briskly but not too much. Finally, stir in the goji berries and coconut.

Divide the mass of batter into two, and arrange half on the bottom of a 9-in. springform pan. Frost with one third of the frosting (which you made earlier! Instructions coming up) and set in the fridge to firm up. Then, put the top half on, and when ready to serve, frost the cake.

So, what about that frosting? Two whole days advance warning?
Yes, I made a cashew cream cheese, just like the one I made for the mushroom pate, but gave it a sweeter twist. This is a super-heavy, rich frosting, so I made it lower in sugar to ease the overall digestive load while hopefully maximizing pleasurableness.

Lemon Cream "Cheese" Frosting
2 cups cashew "cheese" (recipe here)
juice and zest of one lemon (a quarter cup)
1/4 cup erythritol (could substitute coconut sugar, rapadura, whatever you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon lecithin

Blend the "cheese," lemon juice and zest, erythritol, salt and vanilla until very smooth. Add the coconut oil and lecithin, and blend again.

It should be very well chilled when applied to the cake, but better not frozen. I actually made this on Tuesday, so it was frozen until Friday, when the party happened!

To my guilty surprise, I discovered something very long forgotten and deeply buried: there's a part of me that just adores the "cake and frosting" texture combination--the complex texture and crumb of the cake (and I love the _raw_ carrots in the mix there); the tart smoothness of the frosting. I'd also worried that the carrot cake should have had some lemon in it, but the frosting is lemony enough that they marry beautifully.

Now, I need to figure out a frosting recipe that doesn't involve two cups of cashews (although culturing lowers the fat a bit) and coconut oil--something delightfully smooth and decadent that doesn't sit so heavy or contain so many calories!

Here's the nut milk bag the cashew cheese sat in, with lots of lovely cultured "crumbs."

Am I weird that I made these residual bits last three days, rather than just enjoying them right away?

When the cake was served, I had a moment of anxiety about people not liking it because it's so far from the mainstream. But they're used to me by now! I was also embarrassed by how big it was--but that just means that I get to share it with more people! As dense as raw cakes are, though, I'm thinking that "next time," I might make a half recipe and try mixing the dry and wet ingredients in the food processor, but with the plastic "dough" blade instead of the S blade--I think that might be the closest thing to a mixer, which I don't have (nor do I have room for).

Well, there you go! Two recipes, and a way to make even my beloved carrots decadent!
Much love...

I'm sharing this on "Traditional Tuesdays" http://wholenewmom.com/traditional-tuesday/traditional-tuesdays-nutritious-and-delicious-february-28-2012/

Upcoming Goodies and Quick Fitness for Bliss Connect

Happy Friday! After some technology issues in the midst of the blizzard yesterday, and after meeting yesterday's editing deadline, I'm starting to feel like I'm in the home straight with my class preparation. I've recorded, edited and uploaded four videos into YouTube and into my course--just two more I really have to do this weekend, although four would be nice. I could never have imagined saying what I just said--me, record videos??? (Yes, they're pretty basic and mostly me talking over PowerPoint slides, but a couple weeks ago I didn't know how to use PowerPoint either.)

The blizzard: here is the igloo outside our house!

I missed last week's Bliss Connect challenge, but only in the sense that I didn't flag any post as being part of it: the challenge was about resolutions and intentions, and I sure did those.

This week, it's about Fitness and exercising when in a hurry. I'm in a hurry right now, heading out the door to our belated anniversary party, and am in the wrong computer for file access (and the wrong browser--FireFox and blogger must hate each other!), hence lack of links (will fix tomorrow) (edit--ok, later tonight).

Snow shoveling is awesome exercise! I mentioned the foam roll recently too, and that is wonderful for decompressing from hours of typing. 

I've definitely been feeling the need to make sure I exercise despite working probably sixteen-eighteen hour days lately. I make sure I do my "Five Tibetans" when I first get up, and then spend fifteen minutes or so on the rebounder. I do at least another fifteen minutes later in the day. Sometimes, I grab the jump rope and do intervals until I'm winded and wired! And just like I throw pushups and crunches into the Five Tibetans, sometimes I'll get down and do fifteen or twenty minutes of different kinds of crunches with lunges and squats, and jump rope intervals in between.

I love having these tools at my disposal so that I can be well exercised indoors (it's about five degrees outside, and headed below zero) and close to my work.

Playing in the kitchen is like a workout for me sometimes--just how I roll, multitasking and running around. I have lots of carrot-based goodies to share soon (for a great surprise)--this is the anniversary big-deal (half built)

And this is a tweak on my breakfast carrot slaw I've been loving so much...

 ...while this is something raw and hearty and full of both carrots and parsnip!

Love to everyone and excuse the hurried post--I'll tidy it up tomorrow. (OK tonight!)

Carob Chocolate Recipe and Follow-Through

A few people asked for more details on how I made the carob chocolate that was a main ingredient in the wonderful mint-carob chocolate truffles I just posted about, and I realized that I hadn't really posted a very specific recipe before. I'm so willing to please...

...I actually made up a batch today just to be sure that I would share the best possible recipe. There have been times when I've brainstormed a lot about how to make the best carob-based or "white" chocolate with no cacao powder, but I've been off that tack lately. Nice to resurrect it again: I'm grateful for the encouragement!

Today's post was originally going to be about the party for our wedding anniversary yesterday, but that party got postponed because of the spectacular snowstorm (or series of snowstorms) we're in the midst of. Yesterday morning, all our windows were snowed up, like being in a cave, and I had to dig (not shovel) my way to the outhouse!

 So, a good time to take a work break and make some carob chocolate. I really admire the concept of follow-through.

What I ended up making was a cacao butter-carob chocolate with a little mesquite, which gives it a milk chocolate-like flair. For the earlier batch (with which I made the truffles), I'd more or less followed Sweet Gratitude's "chocolate" recipe but substituting carob and mesquite for the cacao powder, so there was some maple syrup and some xylitol (my sub for their rapadura) in the mix.

This time, I got to thinking: you know, carob and mesquite are both really sweet! They don't need much sweetener. I remember Bitt, chocolatier extraordinaire, saying that she didn't love stevia in chocolate, but it occurred to me that a little stevia, with its hint of bitterness, would be just the right sweetening note in here.

The other challenge was emulsification, especially since carob and mesquite are much lower in fat than cacao powder. A little sunflower lecithin was just right for this.

I strongly recommend you sift in the carob. It's a little extra work, but it makes such a difference to the texture. You can mix it all together by hand, but if you have an immersion blender, whizzing it a few times right at the end will help with the final consistency. My kitchen is so cold that the whole thing firmed up right when I was at this stage, so I had to wait a few hours until the heat came on again, and then had it melt in front of the heater to play with some more.

OK already, what's the recipe? Get to the point, girl!
Here 'tis:
Carob Chocolate--vegan, gluten free, (mostly) raw (depending on your carob), low sugar, soy free
1 cup melted cacao butter
1/4 teaspoon stevia
1/8 teaspoon good salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder (really best to use dry vanilla here as opposed to liquid extract)
1 teaspoon sunflower lecithin
3-4 drops Medicine Flower dark chocolate flavor extract (optional)
1 3/4 cups carob powder
1/4 cup mesquite powder

Stir the stevia, salt, vanilla, chocolate flavor extract (if using) and lecithin into the melted cacao butter and mix well.
Gradually sift in the carob and mesquite, a little at a time, stirring regularly.
When you've added all the carob and mesquite, pulse with an immersion blender to combine fully (I guess you could also do this in a food processor).

That's it! I was intending this as a very basic recipe, to which various things could be added, and I'm back to brainstorming all kinds of possibilities for add-ins that would make it more chocolatey or just 'better.' But I also wanted to see how it would stand alone with nothing added.

So, when I got it melted again, I poured a little of it into one of my bar molds and set it in the fridge.

 It popped right out! Beautiful sheen and, as you can see from the picture at the top of the post, it breaks cleanly and holds its texture well.

I could see using this as a coating for truffles... adding mint extract and nut milk to make truffles like last time... mixing in goji berries and figs for a lovely chewy crunch... and all kinds of other uses. Luckily, there's lots more left to play with. I'm curious to see whether it needs tempering like regular chocolate--time will tell.

What would you use it for?

Speaking of follow-through, a few posts ago I had "wet ingredients" from the zucchini ginger cake mixed with carrots and chia seeds in the dehydrator. Here's how they turned out:

Thin, crispy, crunchier than anything with chia normally gets in the dehydrator, sweet but not too sweet, carrot-tasting. Delicious.

 Back to work I go--thanks for reading, and I really hope you enjoy both this and the mint truffles that depend on it.

Mint-Carob Truffles--So Good, They Get a Post to Themselves

OK, not quite--the mint truffles have to share a post with this morning's sunrise. But the mint truffles are spectacular too.

This was around 9.30am--a week ago, it would have been pitch dark. It's astonishing and marvelous to me that the light returns so quickly after the solstice. We had a giant full moon too--I got outside just too late to picture it from our southwestern exposure.

As busy as I am right now, I still need some recreational kitchen time. Thanks to those coconut mounds that also got a post to themselves...

...I have also been reminded that even when I have no appetite at all, chocolate and peppermint will "do it" for me. During my crazy insomnia in the run up to the holidays, I was hitting the caffeine pills (bad, bad girl), which I usually know is a bad idea, and which exacerbated my mania at the time, so I needed my ND to remind me all over again of the many reasons why caffeine is a particularly bad idea for me.

Did you know this about chocolate? Apparently, when you consume theobromine and caffeine together (as in coffee and chocolate, a mocha, tirami su), the two of them synergize so that the stimulant effect is greater than the sum of its parts. Worth knowing...

Well, I had a bowl of homemade carob chocolate leftover from this post, and I'd made nut milk again for a special occasion recipe (coming up), so I decided to rework one of my favorite chocolate mint truffles with the carob chocolate. It's super-simple and very low in sugar, and it turned out to have an especially delightful texture-twist.

Mint-Carob Airy Truffles (mostly raw, vegan, gluten free)
8 oz homemade carob chocolate (basically cacao butter, carob, mesquite and a little sweetener and vanilla) Edit from the future: my next post after this one provides a trouble-shot carob recipe.
1/2 cup homemade nut milk of choice (this happened to be almond-hazelnut; my favorite is coconut; any would be lovely!)
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Simply melt the chocolate, add the nut milk and peppermint extract, and stir together. Let sit in the fridge (or at room temperature if you live where I do) to firm up a bit, then roll into balls. For me, about 30 balls.

These are a milk-chocolate kind of color because of the mesquite--not as dark as I'd normally go for. But their taste is heavenly.
As for the texture, that is just something else! I don't know how it came out this way, but it's a little more crumbly than a traditional truffle and so airy and light inside, it's like one of those aerated chocolate bars! I wonder whether it came out like that because I had the nut milk cold, rather than room temp, when I added it to the carob chocolate.
Any ideas?

Seriously, I think I like these better than the coconut mounds, and yet they're not addictive! With the coconut mounds, I'd eat one, and of course I'd eat just one because I'm that stubborn, but I'd really really want to eat more than one! With these, I can eat half of one and be blissed out.

Go and make some!
http://wholenewmom.com/traditional-tuesday/traditional-tuesdays-nutritious-and-delicious-january-17-2011/