Eating Raw Foods

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So, it's like this.

I've been having some health issues - my hip is messing up on me, and worse, my heart is acting wonky.  Nothing too serious, but on top of all that, I'm feeling tired and having a general lack of energy.  So, I've decided that (along with seeing my doctor) I'm going to try to make some changes with my diet.  I don't really eat the healthiest of foods, most of the time.  I don't eat 'fast food' as a general rule, but we do have a Tuesday night pizza night, and I do love fried foods and lots of sauces.

I'd been doing a lot of research on gluten free and raw food diets recently.  While I don't think that gluten is an issue for me, I do like a lot of the more natural foods that are promoted on a gluten free diet.  And while I'm not sure that I can switch to a completely raw food diet, I do LOVE fruits and vegetables, and don't eat nearly enough of them. 

So, I'm switching to a 'mostly' raw food diet.  That means eating food that's as close as possible to its natural state.  So I'll be eating lots of fruits and vegetables in their uncooked states. And the foods that aren't raw, I'll be making a big effort to eat in more organic forms - things like switching to brown rice, whole grain bread and the like.  And I'll still be eating beans/lentils.  No white sugar - or as little as possible, anyway.  And I'll throw in some fish and chicken - but not fried, and no sauces or gravies.

I really don't expect switching to be a problem - I was 'mostly' vegetarian for about 3 years, and that was easy for me.  I ate the occasional turkey and fish. I think the most difficult thing for me is going to be going without my Sunday morning 'chicharron' (fried pork sandwiches) - but I think I can just switch it up for ceviche, and I'll be fine.

Today I had a delicious smoothie for breakfast.  Yesterday, I bought a bunch of fruits and veggies, and spent the afternoon cleaning and cutting up the fruit.  I put it in the freezer in containers, so in the mornings, all I have to do is pull out the fruit I want and pop some in the blender.  Today, I went with strawberry/mango/ cantaloupe/watermelon/spinach.  Yes, you heard me - spinach!  It made the smoothie a funny brown color, but the taste was delicious - like a light sorbet.  I added enough apple juice (100%, not from concentrate!) to make it 'blendable'.  And ate it together with a small handful of pecans and walnuts for fat/protein.

I'll keep y'all posted on how it goes, and how I feel.  But don't worry - I'm still going to be posting regular recipes - Peruvian, and otherwise!

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• Raw Food Offers More Nutrition Than Cooked Food (thebestrawfooddiet.com)

Peeling Tomatoes

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I live in Peru, and a lot of things I took for granted when cooking are either not available or are so expensive they just aren't always worth buying. One of those things is canned tomatoes. They're here, but they're too expensive to use as a regular ingredient. So, I started using regular ripe tomatoes a lot more often, and it's actually so easy, I've come to prefer using them over the canned for most things. Here, then, is my way of preparing my tomatoes.

I start with a glass casserole dish (2 quart). Add water to nearly fill, then put the top on and stick it in the microwave long enough to get the water just to boiling. CAREFULLY remove it from the micro! While the water nukes, take your tomatoes and cut a X-shaped slice in the bottom of each one. (Of course, you can always do this on the stove top in a saucepan- I prefer the microwave because I have a super tiny stove, and am usually cooking other things while I do this)

Again, very carefully, using a spoon, lower the tomatoes into the water and leave them for about 30 seconds or so. Doesn't matter if you leave them longer, since usually you'll be cooking them later anyway. Take them out, run them under cool water so you can touch them, and then peel the skin off, starting at your little X-slice. You'll find the skin will slip right off.

Once you've got your tomatoes peeled, it's a simple matter to just crush them by hand and clean the seeds out of them. If you want, once you have the seeds out, use a knife to cut up the bigger pieces.

And there you go, fresh tomatoes, peeled and deseeded and crushed, ready to add to your recipe. You can add this to soup recipes in place of canned tomatoes. Just remember that you'll need to adjust seasonings, because this won't have any of the salt or other seasoning that canned tomatoes often have.

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• Canned Tomatoes. (momblognetwork.com)