Raw Food Recipes:
american idol

Fajita Vegetables (p. 211) with Chili Pistachios (111) by Chad Sarno

The crunchiness of the pistachios served the bell peppers and zucchini well. Nice flavors going on with these recipes. You will enjoy.

Hey, do you watch American Idol? Well, if you don't watch, you have to watch tonight's episode in Denver. I was there.

When you watch the contestants perform in front of the judges, imagine me behind the large American Idol banner 'politely' telling the next contestant to hush up and wait their turn.
That was one of the many jobs (moving office furniture, supplies and camera equipment a million times, picking up executives from Denver International Airport, running for coffee, etc.)

I had when American Idol came to Denver last summer and I was lucky enough to work long, tedious hours for nearly no pay. They feed you really well though.

No, but straight up I did have a ball and I would have gladly worked for free.

And yes, I did have (limited) contact with the judges and yes, I know some juicy, fun facts about them. Like who drinks wheat grass shots chilled on ice, who is really, really short in person, who uses Colgate Wisps, who is super polite and who is rude (it's not who you might think). But I signed that pesky confidentiality agreement which states I have to keep my mouth shut. Bummer.

Denver has a lot of talented and unique characters (think two-piece) so watch American Idol, nosh on chili pistachios, fun times will be had.
Oh, by the way, the chili pistachio recipe never mentions this but, you might want to remove the shells before you season them with the spices and dehydrate.

Lee DeWyze wins American Idol. I love ya Crystal!

Crystal Bowersox is the Next American Idol

I love soups, the are my favorite type of meals. Seaweed soup is my ultimate favorite, with a creamy tomato- or coconut-based coming in a close second and...of yes, a cheezy soup definitely is third. But somewhere in between the seaweed soup and the tomato, say like my first and one-half favorite type of "soup" is actually broth.

On most days, I sip on a cup (or two) of miso broth, sometimes I sprinkle a piece of seaweed here or there, but for the most part it's just 1 tablespoon Miso and 1 cup very warm water and stir until the miso dissolves.

I wanted to play with the broth concept a bit, (switch it up from the Miso) so I came up with this Shiitake Mushroom and Sun-dried tomato broth. It super easy, just make a powder and add it to water.

The flavor is a pretty cool combination, the meatiness of the mushroom pairs well with the hint of sweetness from tomatoes. You are going to want to make a lot of this and store it in pint-size Mason jar in the refrigerator. It's great to add raw soups, sauces, gravies, burgers or wherever you want to add a bit of flavor.

Shiitake and Sun-dried Tomato Powder
Makes approximately 4 cups

1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Place mushrooms and tomatoes in a high-speed blender or a coffee grinder, and process in pulses until very finely chopped. Continue processing until the mushrooms turn into powder.
Store in a Mason jar in the refrigerator, indefinitely.
To make 1 cup of broth: add 1 tablespoon of powder to 1 cup of warm to hot water.

Where are all my American Idol fans? Heidi? Althea? Ladies what do you think about it?

I can't believe Season 9 is coming to an end. Wow, this is the first AI season I have watched in its entirety, pretty cool. Now I can say I did it and unless I work for them again (doubtful) it's not going to happen again. My AI claim to fame is I got to hold Casey's guitar in Denver, woo hoo! I need therapy.

Let's do a poll, sure why not, you say?

I think it's going to go down like this: Casey James and his golden locks are going home tonight. Sorry Kara "Mrs. Robinson" DioGuardi.

Front runner and earth mother Crystal Bowersox is going to be eliminated next week leaving sad-eyed Lee Dewyze winning American Idol Season 9. Lee is crazy-sexy-cool-and-all but I really want Crystal to win. Oh-the-well, it's all good, both will have sick music careers, it's really a win-win.

As a matter of fact, I predict that this season's contestants will obtain the most record deals of previous shows. I even think "Teflon" Tim Urban just might have a one hit wonder in him.

Vote in the poll up top and let me know who you think will win American Idol Season 9.