Meatless Monday - Cashew Cream Sauce

When I first read about this sauce I knew it had potential!  In the past at one of my Raw Food classes at Nourished Body & Soul by Deb K I learned that the cashew is a very versitile nut.  The first time I had it was as a Mock Alfredo Sauce served over Kelp Noodles and I was hooked.  I have not however been brave enough to try it out until I saw this recipe for Cilantro Cashew Cream Sauce and knew instantly I had to try it!

I was in luck, I happened to have all the items in my pantry or fridge as well so I knew it was a sign that I had to make this sauce!  I am not using it for burritos as the recipe's main page is using it.  I decided to use it another way.  I decided to use it on a salad.

First I soaked my cashews like in the original recipe.

I blended them in the vitamix and then added the other ingridients as stated in the original recipe.

This is the amount I recieved...a large mason jar's worth.

Then I prepared my salad by starting out with marinated Kale in lemon juice.  I let it sit for an hour.

Then I used my new Spiralizer for the first time and cut some Zuchinni.

I added half of an avocado.  Then I massaged them all together. 
Next time I plan on adding the avocado before the zuchinni.

Next came for my seasoning..today's choice was Organic Kelp Noodles. 
I have to limit my salt intake and this gives me a nice substitution.

Just for the heck of it, I added black sesame seeds.  Think next time I want to add Poppy Seeds.

For the final product, I also added some more cilantro because the sauce was just not Cilantro enough for me.  I also added sliced strawberries because I was not in the mood for tomatoes.  I also dusted it with the Whole Foods 365 Line of Vegetarian Parmasan cheese (its another one of my staples transitioning). 

 The overall salad was really good.  For my first time experimenting with making a salad out of ingridients I normally don't use together or eat, I think it was a sucess!  I plan on making it again in the future with a few changes.  The Kale with Strawberries were surprisingly good with one another.  I got lucky with the strawberries as they were more sweet than tart.  They complimented one another very well. 

So this was my dinner tonight, what did you eat and how Raw are you today?

Sincerely,
Crystal T.

Doc Visit - Results of becoming Vegetarian

Well today I went to my Nephrologist and received the results of my monthly bloodwork and urine tests.  From my original numbers in the hospital I went from 11.4 grams of protein per oz to 2.3 grams!  In just under two months of changing my diet, I am on the way to recovery!  My doc even said he has not seen numbers drop this drastically due to dietary changes and even asked permission to share my experience with a few other patients who's numbers are not changing or not feeling better as a possible option! 

I am still no way close to being "normal".   Normal is considered to me less than 150mg (1,000 mg per gram) in one ounce.  But for it to drop that much in two months is a huge victory!  Giving up meat is definitely one "sacrifice" I am glad I decided to do.  The benefits are showing for my hard work and effort!

So I just wanted to share the "good" news.   There was a bit of bad news, that my kidney functions themselves are not as good as normal, but doc is hoping that it was just a day that maybe possibly I was not as hydrated as I should have been.  So I need to keep track of my food (journal) more than I usually do.  Better than I have in the past, so for the next month I will be focusing on trying to do that better!   Knowing that what I do and eat could help others is definitely a motivation!

Hubby purchased me a Vitamix!  So I have a wonderful tool (the blender) to help me in my quest for eating health from now on. My husband spoils me so!  He rocks!

Adventures in Vegetarianism

So if you read my blog, you will know that earlier this year I was diagnosed with Kidney Disease.  Last month during my checkup and bloodwork, the tests came back that my protein numbers were increasing.  This is a bad thing.  That means I am getting worse not better.  So during our conversation about what I should and should not be doing, the topic of what I eat and how I eat came up.  Limiting the amount of protein in general came up.  Eating less meat came up...until doc suggested that I give a go at becoming Vegetarian and possibly Vegan. 

For myself, I have always been a die hard meat eater and advocate.  I still love meat and for the past month have had some. Before June of this year I ate probably an 80% meat diet compared to what I need to eat.  I know I need to change if I want to live.  I know that I need to eat more fruits and vegetables in order to do that and also to survive.  The more protein I eat, the quicker my kidneys will burn out and I will either end up on dialysis or worse, die. 

So for the past few weeks I have been doing alot of research which I am sure will be ongoing for the rest of my life.  My new adventures in vegetarianism are fun and exciting.  Who would have known that I would actually like avocado!  For years I have been requesting that the Mexican restaurants hold that green gook off my plate please!  None for me.....now that I have actually TASTED it, I LIKE IT! 

Yesterday I had a horrible day.  I still feel pretty cruddy.  This past weekend I did eat some meat and I think that my body is retaliating from it.  My feet are swollen, my face was so swollen it looks like I was a caveman (some swelling is still present if you look closely at the photo but much better today when it was taken).  I am noticing that when I am a "bad girl" food wise, I feel well, bad!  I am beginning to pay more attention to my body.  I am drinking more water.  I am drinking more fresh juice on a daily basis.

I want to live a long healthy life.  I want to grow old with my husband and watch the sunsets and our great grandchildren playing in our yard.  I want to live without pain, without being obese, and not lacking energy to play with my children now!

Today I decided to document via camera what I have eaten so far.  I made my first green juice drink today.  It was spinach, celery, parsley, cucumber, and grannysmith apple.  It was good.  I liked it.  Not as sweet as I had hoped the apple would make it, but for my first one I think it was sucessful. 

For lunch I decided to use what I had in the fridge.  Spinach seems to be what I have the most of right now and I don't want it to go to waste.  I had a left over sundried tomato Lavish wrap near the sandwich fixings so I decided to use that as my shell.  On the recommendation of my friend Vicki I purchased some Vegan mozz cheese for melting.  For lack of a better word, I made a spinach quesadilla.  It was really good!  It was not raw, but it was Vegetarian.  I don't know about the lavish so I don't think its Vegan.  But its a start right?  I added Beth's corn salad which I learned how to make at my local Whole Foods class that Katherine and I attended last week.  That seems to be my new go to favorite and will be experimenting with the seasonings to see if it will double as my new filling for tacos because it already has cumin in it, so I might play with it a bit and add some chili powder to spice it up a bit more. 



Ok, so my plating skills are not exactly the quality of a chef.  I can barely cook. LOL  That might be why I am so interested in the Raw Food lifestyle.  No cooking. LOL 

I am going from ZERO percent fruits and vegetables to having eat them all the time now.  Every week I am trying at least one new vegetable to expose myself to it.  Last week was eggplant which I fried and liked.  This week's new veggie is spaghetti squash which I tend to use in place of a pasta sometime this week. 

My game plan and overall goals is to each week up the amount of food I am eating whether it be Vegetarian, Vegan, and or Raw.  Moving away from the animal products is my overall goal.  I hope to be 50% raw by December and then my ultimate goal is to be 80% Raw by my birthday next May. 
Reason I am taking so long for this transformation is that I want to start small and slow.  I want to make changes that are going to stick with me.  I also don't have the money to be able to afford the tools of the trade that are being recommended to me by my friends and family.  I have purchased a food processor.  Here are the things that I am wishing for:

First on my list is a Juicer.  I would love to get the Hurom juicer or a Green Star but both are a bit pricey.  I bascially want something that is of a really good quality, and will last for a long time that processes fruits, vegetables, and the leafy stuff like parsley, cilantro, and especially Wheatgrass!

Next on my list is a good dehydrator.  My friend Poteet who is my staunch Vegan  recommends the Excalibur. 

And the final thing on my wishlist right now is the blender that everyone's vegan blog I am reading raves about....I really really really want a Vitamix!

Well that is all for now.  Don't think I have written this much in a long time!  I hope you are having a truly magical day today! 

As I have posted in the past, the Cauldron will be moving towards a food theme.  If you have any Vegetarian/Vegan/Raw recipes you would like to share, by all means, send them my way!  I will try them out and see what makes it into my new staple menu!