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Archive for May, 2010

wadorf salad

May 8th, 2010

For the workshop class on Holidays, I had planned to make the cranberry relish from Eating Without Heating: Favorite Recipes from Teens Who Love Raw Food by Sergei and Victoria Boutenko. However, finding fresh cranberries in the spring is a bit of a challenge, so I settled on a tasty Waldorf salad instead.

I discovered this gem of a cookbook at the Glastonbury Library: The Raw Transformation: Energizing Your Life with Living Foods. Nestled inside this book you will find a number of delicious recipes, including the following:

Apple Waldorf Salad

Salad:

4 apples, chopped into small pieces
4 stalks celery, minced
2 green onions, minced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins, soaked 1 hour

Mayonnaise:

1/2 cups pine nuts, soak 6 hrs
1/4 cup water
2-3 Tbs olive oil
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
dash garlic powder
dash onion powder
sea salt to taste

Mix salad ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
To make mayonnaise, blend all ingredients until smooth. If too thick, add a little water.
Carefully fold into salad mixture. Serves 4.

Short on celery, I added some diced fennel as well. And because I couldn’t let go of the cranberry thing, I added raisins and dried cranberries. Since the chives in my yard are thick and luscious, I used those instead of green onions. I like apple skins so I left them on, tho both Oscar and the author recommend peeling the apples. In the fall, when organic grapes are more readily available I would definitely try replacing the dried fruit with them.

According to everything I read online (so we all know this means it must be true!) about the history of this dish, it started pleasing crowds more than one hundred years ago when it was developed by the maitre d’hotel of the Waldorf Hotel, Oscar Tschirky. His original recipe, published in The Cook Book by Oscar of the Waldorf, 1896, is as follows:

Peel two raw apples and cut them into small pieces, say about half and inch square, also cut some celery the same way, and mix it with the apple. Be very careful not to let any seeds of the apples be mixed with it. The salad must be dressed with a good mayonnaise.

The link to the cookbook allows you to thumb through the original book, a history lesson in itself. Ever wonder how to make Beef Tea or Beef Jelly? Just turn to the soups section to find out. The Preface and information at the beginning of the book are worth a look, and include a listing of seasons for many common foods. I found some of the granites ( italian ices) and the apple (and other flavors) water ices intriguing. And I’m struck by the unusual ingredients and flavors throughout the book — Brown Bread Ice Cream anyone?

Anyway, enjoy this raw vegan version of the classic Waldorf salad. It goes really well with the ever-scrumptious stuffing or can be tasty picnic fare for the summer.

Yum!

Comment ( 1 )

appes, cranberries, mayonnaise, raisins, salad, walnuts

our class raw potluck

May 6th, 2010

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was the last day of the raw class we taught at Greenspring. It was a fantastic 12 weeks and we received lots of positive feedback which we are ever so grateful for!!

For the last class, we had a raw potluck to share a couple of our favorite dishes and give the students a chance to spread their wings and bring in a raw recipe and dish to share with the class. What a beautiful display!! We were so happy to see how everyone really took on the challenge and made some remarkable dishes. We’ve left the pictures really big, so if you click on them, you can see the dishes better.

There was so much variety:

* a beautiful garden salad with homegrown sprouts with a citrus dill vinaigrette – nice and light and the dressing had a fabulous tang.

* an Italian salad of simply cut oranges with red pepper flakes, onions and oil and vinegar was a flavorful and colorful dish

* guacamole beautifully dressed up with red pepper left nice and chunky

* one student got so excited she just couldn’t stop the creative juices from flowing and brought three dishes in! One was a balsamic dressing served over tomato and avocado. The lemon bars were superb with strawberries and chocolate sauce. Her last dish, black bean brownies, demonstrated nutritious cooked options. They were rich, fudgy and all gone!

* dehydrated pear and peaches looked pretty and were a light, sweet chip.

*crudites were served with a pumpkin seed pate which was a lovely light green color that really felt like spring. This same student brought in a dessert – chocolate coconut balls.

* another student who is obviously an artist in the kitchen brought in a version of the coconut white cake in the form of cupcakes with filling in the middle, cashew cream frosting and elegant decor of slivered almond atop. She made a chocolate version, and an alternative made with almond butter instead of tahini as well. They looked stunning.

* a big bowl bursting with nutrient packed homegrown sunflower sprouts with velvety white cream sauce was a hit among the little ones as they went back for seconds and thirds. I heard Lucia say, “I could eat these every night for dinner if I wanted to ya know!” I loved it!!

* fruit salad was also gobbled up by the littles with big smiles on their faces

* Pad Thai seemed to be a hit and I happily recited the ingredients to many who said, ” I must have that recipe.”

One of the best parts of getting together with others in this way is everyone brings such a unique quality to the experience. I love sharing my favorite dishes and trying others creations. It is a wonderful way to sample recipes you may have not come across yet or ones that include flavors you do not typically use in your kitchen. You go with one recipe and come away with so many more and you now know how they taste. Potlucks are a great way to quickly expand your repertoire.

It is also important to have community. Going to a raw potluck or hosting one does just that. It is a good way to connect with others and discuss successes and challenges, get feedback and share experiences.

So, here’s to you, our raw class participants and friends!! We so enjoyed the experience and hope you did as well!

In gratitude!!

Comment ( 1 )

Local Fun

May 5th, 2010

Sioux and I had a great time the other day at one of our favorite places. No, not Goodwill this time although you are right and that is one of our favorite spots. This time it was the local library. We attended a bookmaking workshop at her library that was incredible. We got to make two books that were both very different. One was a rectangular basic journal type and the other was an amazing accordion style book with a hard cover. The teacher had already cut the paper we used to size which I am sure takes most of the time when making these at home. She went step by step through the process of making the books as well as the tools used.

The rectangular book had a soft cover and ribbon closure. The teacher, who is out of Glastonbury, CT, had stamps from all over the world for decoration. We each recieved one to place on center on the front of our book. It reminded me of a garden jounal when it was done.

The accordion style book was a lot like doing origami. It was all in how you folded the paper to make the design. We covered foam core which is stiff, with decorative paper for the covers and attached ribbon to hold the book closed.

Both of us came away very satisfied and excited to try making more with the kiddos at home. The best part of the library program….. it was FREE!!

Closer to my home, the kids and I went to one of our local libraries for a program on weaving. The first one we attended, the kids practiced weaving with yarn on a cardboard loom. The teacher taught us how to do the whole process including making a loom, starting the weave, keeping it all straight and pretty and finishing the work off.

The next time we attended, we learned basket weaving. Gatlin and I worked on one together but River made his all on his own and it was quite impressive when it was done. I Loved all the natural materials being used and the feel of them is of course great. She also talked a little about natural dyes which would be fun to do to the reeds at home. The whole basket took River about 2 hours to make and would make a wonderful gift.

Listening to an author read their own book is quite a special opportunity in my opinion. We recently did just that at a library event. It was wonderful to be able to ask the author questions about the book and hear all the background details that went into the making of the book. With children’s authors, you can often expect a craft to go along with the program which is one more way for them to integrate the book into their experience.

Lobsters, crabs, starfish, frogs, turtles and snakes may not be the first thing you think of when I say library, but that is exactly what was in the touch tank that had visited our library at another library program offered to the community. Gatlin even made the front page of our local paper at that event. We learned about each of the animals, their habitat and their natural defenses.

There have been so many other programs that have been top notch and so much fun offered by our towns and surrounding area libraries. Some of these have been jewelry making, movie nights, decorate a cloth bag, paper beads, science experiments, raw foods, feng shui, gardening, saving money, break dancing, zumba, puppeteers, magicians, instrument zoo and book discussions.

So next time you are at the library check out their events coming up. If you go online, most have a calendar of events and you can often sign up right online. The best part is the programs are FREE!!!

Ooooo, one more thing. Check to see what passes your library and those nearby have for passes. They are often to museums in the state or neighboring states and other attractions offering FREE or discounted admission.

OOooo, ok, just one more thing. Remember to utilize the inter-library loan system as well. It is really easy to use and allows you to search and borrow books from tons of other libraries statewide. You get to pick the books up and return them to your library instead of driving across the state to each library. If you don’t know how to use the system, ask your librarian to show you. Once you do, I promise, you will be hooked. And yes, it is FREE, too!!!

See ya later, I am off to the library!!