"raw" news and stories

I have had good luck when I have tried my hand at making dairy-free ice creams in the past, so the idea of a whole cookbook devoted to them is appealing, if for no other reason than it would expand my dessert horizons. Vice Cream: Over 70 Sinfully Delicious Dairy-Free Delights is full of wonderfully creamy and creative desserts that are all vegan and suitable for anyone with lactose/dairy intolerance. There is even a selection of completely raw recipes, which you probably won't find anywhere else.

Many cookbooks that focus on specific dietary requirements also cast an eye towards health conscious recipes, which is not the priority in this book. The recipes here are intended to be at least as rich as "real" ice cream and just as satisfying by using ingredients like maple syrup, agave nectar, peanut butter, raw cashews and fresh fruits. The Vice Cream lineup features Chocolate Chip, Mint Carob Chip, Strawberry, Blueberry, Black Forest, Peanut Butter and Apple Strudel. The majority of the recipes are easy to prepare and have short ingredient lists, but you will definitely need an ice cream maker and something to blend all the vice cream bases together, like a food processor or blender. Top each serving of the finished product off with one of the topping recipes at the back of the book and you will have a dessert worthy of the description "sinfully delicious"

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In a recent study, Consumer Reports concluded that 83% of all the chickens sold in the US are likely to contain foodborne illness-causing bacteria, such as campylobacter and salmonella. Known for its reliable research techniques and consumer-minded approach to issues, Consumer reports has come under criticism from the USDA, which "called the report 'junk science.'"

The CR study involved running tests on 525 supermarket chickens (from leading brands) before drawing their conclusions. Despite the fact that different brands were tested, the USDA says that the sample size was too small to conclude anything about all the chickens in the country - especially considering that there are something like 9 billion chickens killed for food in the US every year. A spokesperson for the U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said that the methodology was not there, or at least was not sufficiently explained, to justify the conclusions. For example, the study found that 15% of chickens carried salmonella (a number actually in line with USDA data), but failed to identify the strain(s) present, not even mentioning that not every strain makes people sick.

The USDA will conduct its own study of the matter beginning in January.

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The raw food movement is based on the idea of eating nothing that has been cooked, or even heated about 110F. For some who follow the diet, this might mean that they also eat uncooked meat products, like raw fish, or unpasteurized dairy. Many raw foodists are also vegetarians/vegans and refrain from cooked food and the raw animal products. Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow falls into the latter category, with no meat. The book is written by two NY chefs who wanted to share the "glow" (of good health) they feel they gained after they switched to a raw food diet. Not just nuts and berries, the recipes include shakes, cookies, noodles and even pizza.

Like many raw food books, more than a few of the recipes call for using dehydrators and other appliances, so this book might be best for people who are interested in trying a raw lifestyle, as opposed to those who simply want a little more variety in their diet. That said, there are recipes that don't call for a dehydrator or special equipment, so if you are a curious or adventurous cook, don't be put off by that fact.

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Earlier this month, a Spain-based blogger named Diana took on the project of blogging 30 days on a raw food diet. "From tomorrow I will begin a 30 day Raw Food experiment. I have researched the subject till the cows come home- tried and failed numerous times, but this time will be different!!" she says in her first post. By day five she'd already had a few beers, which apparently falls outside of the raw food program. Diana's stated goal for the project is weight loss, and she notes her starting and current weight at the beginning of each post. So far it looks to be mostly veggies, smoothies and sprouted grains. I'm curious to see how creative she gets with her meals and how conscious she'll be about nutrition. Hopefully the tone will keep to the upbeat and informative side and not drift too much into obsessing about weight loss.

Summer heat (sans air conditioning) provides a great excuse to lie around the apartment and ponder. Yukari Rymar  feels the sweat bead on her forehead and thinks deep thoughts: "cold showers are great,"  "why hate on freon?" and "I wish it was winter," she murmers  The mercury rises, and deeper she slips, deeper into delirium....

 

 

"Winter in Tokyo , December '91.  I sit under the kotatsu in the living room.  Mama fixes a midday snack in the kitchen.  I watch the cartoon Chibi Maruko-chan.  A commercial for Cup Ramen starring Arnold Schwarzenneger--seriously--comes on the screen, and I turn my attention away in time to see Mama put a dish down on the table.

 

"The plate steams.  It's piled high with deep fried oyster croquettes.  Or as the Japanese call it--kaki fry."