On the MenuRecipes #48-#55 of the Complete Book of Raw Food EndeavorAvo Soup, Stephen Arlin, p. 92Chili Rellenos, Robert Yarosh and Lisa Sota, p. 210Soft Tacos, Matt Amsden, p. 213Tomatillo Salsa, Vita-Mix, p. 279Pepper-Corn Boats, David Klein, p. 126Pico de Gallo, Shazzie, p. 254-255Coconut Flan with Orange Glaze, Matt Samuelson, p. 329 (I didn’t get a chance to make the glaze, used orange zest instead; kids didn’t mind) Almond Orange Cookies adapted from Valya's Almond Orange Cookies, Valya Boutenko, p. 288Corn and Chia Chips, The Daily Raw Café (adapted from Jonathan Weber’s Corn off the Cob Crackers, p. 167-68 — recipe to follow)Spicy Mexican Salad from the book “Becoming Raw” Chili-Lime Jicama Sticks, The Daily Raw Café (recipe to follow)
It started simple enough. Jonathan Weber’s Spicy seed mix (p. 117) transformed from thick, soggy glob to a very crunchy, seasoned snack, in a relatively short amount of time. The spices were on point, Man on the Raw thought the nibbles was just spicy enough without overpowering the taste buds.
Beware of John Larsen's Tasty Sea snacks (p. 117). I found a half of cup of Nama Shoyu a bit too generous, causing it to be to salty. Although, Man on the Raw enjoyed the flavor, he suggested I tone down the Nama Shoyu, if I were going to take a batch to an Oscar party I was attending. On a second batch, I decreased the amount of Nama Shoyu to one-fourth of a cup, made them bite-size and was off. Ha, ha happy ending.
This is the point where happy endings turn sour and my mild obsessive tendencies came to surface.
The story actually begins on February 19th, when I came across some incredible Raw Zucchini Chips featured on the blog Green and Crunchy. They were beautiful, crispy, crunchy little discs. By far a perfect substitution for Lays or Pringles any day.
Life moved forward, as it does so often, and I quickly forgot about the little bits of heaven, at least until I saw Bitt of Raw’s posting of Zucchini Chips and her cute dog eating raw zucchini. Adorable.
Zucchini chips were not going away any time soon, thus the seeds of my obsession was firmly planted in my brain.
I went to The Complete Book of Raw Food, you know my endeavor and all, searching for a recipe comparable to what I had read on the blogs. I found what I was seeking on page 178, Shazzie’s recipe for Curly Crisps.
On the surface, everything seemed to be moving in the right direction. I had a cool hand-held mandoline, a few small zucchini, a beet and a couple of plump, light green, stubby things called Mexican Squash.
Using my cool, hand-held mandoline, I sliced the vegetables into thin rounds, a shy away from being paper thin, but not quite. I choose a variety of basic seasonings, including garlic, onion, wasabi and barbecue powders, nothing too spectacular or out of the ordinary. Well maybe the wasabi, but I digress.
My first batch, I placed in the dehydrator for 115 degrees for about 12 hours. The edges of my produce curled, taking on a slight crispiness, but nothing compared to potato chips. The middle of the vegetable discs were something less to be desired. They were soft and pliable, resembling nothing like a chip.
I popped them back in the dehydrator for another few hours.
Nothing changed, except the size of my zucchini chips, they shrank.
This whole process continued over the course of a week. Attempting varying sizes and thinness of different root vegetables, with Teflex sheet, without Teflex sheet, with salt, without salt, with oil, without oil. Good, eatable food was thrown in the compost bucket because they weren't crisp enough.
I was relentless, Man on the Raw was impatient with my compulsive, slightly psychotic behavior.
But I couldn’t help it. I wanted a crispy, crunchy chip and I was bound and determined to create one.
Finally, I received a reprieve.
I had a promising batch of zucchini and beet chips on Sunday. They came from the dehydrator after 30 hours at 115 degrees and they were actually a good, crunchy consistency. Success, the girls enjoyed them and I finally had something the Man on the Raw could give his seal of approval on and he wouldn’t have to send me away to a psych ward. That was the case, until the girls ate most of them and the ones that remained were left uncovered and I suppose the moisture from the Colorado air (yeah, right), turned them back to a soft, pliable chip taking on the texture of a mildly waterlogged potato chip.
Of course, when Man on the Raw came home after an exhausting evening of work, he wasn’t in the correct frame of mind to believe me when I told him my chips were crispy at one point in their life.
He just kind of heaved a sigh and his chin sank to the ground.
I bite down on the side of my lip and quickly promised I wouldn’t attempt another batch of vegetable chips until I ended my juice feast and I was able to taste test them myself.
Recipes number 56-58 of The Complete Raw Food Endeavor.
Recipe #44 of the Complete Book of Raw Food Endeavor - Raw Hummus by Jonathan Weber, p. 277 FEBRUARY 25 and 27 Living Light Culinary Arts Institute hosts a “Open House” teleconference with Cherie Soria and Dan Ladermann, 5:30-6:30 p.m. (PST) February 25 and 3-4 p.m. (PST) February 27. To call in, dial: (218) 844-0850, participant Access Code: 873111#, rawfoodchef.com
FEBRUARY 25 “Understanding Your Healthy Journey,” featuring Fred Bisci, 7 p.m. $20. The First Presbyterian Church, 34 Alder St., Waltham, MA, 617-835-2913 or 617-835-2913 FEBRUARY 27 Raw Utopia hosts a raw potluck featuring soup and salad themes, 7 p.m. Healing Light Center, 431 E. Bayaud Ave., Denver, CO, 303-617-3140, www.meetup.com/rawutopia/calendar/12658722/
FEBRUARY 28 Chef Dina Knight hosts “Eat Green The Easy Ways,” a beginners class, 12:30-4 p.m. $97. Austin, TX, http://www.greenivore.net/ MARCH 3 Nude Food offers a East Meets West un-cooking class, 6-8 p.m. $30. Zerhs, Malden Road, Canada, To register please call (519)-939-0138
MARCH 7 L.A Raw Bazaar, Katharsis Center & Chef BeLive's host a celebration of life, love and living foods, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Jerry’s Garden, 6132 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 310-358-0138 , the-katharsis.org MARCH 13 Raw Food Coach and Chef, Lisa Simpson, Raw Liberty presents the class “Raw Liberty at the Table Living Harmoniously Raw, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. £75. Ealing, London, England, 07939 848371, email: lisa@rawliberty.co.uk
MARCH 14-28 Beginner Raw Vegan Prep Food class with Chef Brian Lucas, 4-6 p.m. Sundays. $200. Los Angeles, CA, to register call Maya Kriheli, 310-919-8867
MAY 31-JUNE 19 Raw Food Nutrition Science, Health Educator and Raw Culinary Arts Certification. $500. The Commercial Kitchen of Jackie & Gideon Graff, 1085 Lake Charles Drive, Roswell, GA, to get an application, email rawfoodrevival@att.net or call us at 770 992-9218
AUGUST 27-29 The Sixth Annual Vibrant Living Expo, 2010 Vibrant Living Expo and Culinary Showcase. Early registration is $165 before May 31, after May 31 $225, for all three days or $75 per day. The Living Light Center and Town Hall, Fort Bragg, CA, www.rawfoodchef.com/events/rawFoodsExpo.html#rising
SEPTEMBER 24-26 Raw Spirit International Festival features raw chef demos and tastings, yoga, tai chi, lectures, kids’ programs, organic farmers’ market and more. $100 on March 1, $150 after first 100 tickets sold. Granite Dells, near Prescott, Arizona, 928-308-2146, RawSpirit.com “Raw News You Can Use” runs Thursdays. In the subject line write: "RAW NEWS YOU CAN USE." Please include event, date, time, contact information (website, telephone, etc.) and anything else you think is important.
