everyday raw chili success!

twice in the last 5 days, i have broke into my copy of matthew kenney's everyday raw and made his raw chili. after many ani phyo delicious chilis (most recently, but also here, and here). it's been fun to find another yummy chili that is easy to make, uses "normal" ingredients and has universal appeal.

reading the reviews on amazon, there is a "not for the beginner" and a "meh" as some responses. i can slightly relate, i suppose, as some of the recipes in this book have a few too many steps, ie using (one recipe) with (other recipe) and then make ("this" recipe) for on top. i need to try more recipes from everyday raw before i can entirely disagree with the discouraging reviews, but the chili recipe on page 78 is a definite win! super easy ingredients to have on hand and it turned out beautifully!

first sampling of the chili was at lisa's birthday potluck on saturday - the first potluck i have been at in awhile that had non-vegan dishes present. gasp! it was nice that this chili fit in easily as i don't think it looks super granola-vegan-ish or much unlike a "real" chili.

i love trying new recipes for potlucks. they always seem to turn out amazing and then i also get to try other people's food creations! so much fun!

 and now, tonight, at my parents' place, we super enjoyed our delicious chili outside:

my mom cleared off the outside chairs so we could all enjoy the remaining sun of the day sans spiders. thanks mom! ^_^ 

i love that you don't even notice it's "raw". my parents said it tasted like chili and they both really enjoyed it. yay! i tried to explain why i soaked and sprouted the raw almonds but i'm not so good with such details. i figured it was the best way to make the almonds "alive" again. just like it wouldn't be so helpful to eat seeds you want to grow vegetables from and you wait until they have sprouted into plants, you soak the raw nut to make it into something nutritionally dense and easily digested. is that accurate? anyone?

lunch outside!

why people hide from the sun and soak chemicals into their body to 'protect' themselves from the sun and then have to take vitamin D supplements is beyond me!

is it not that more refreshing if you step outside your place of work for your break? i LOVE taking my lunch outside when i can! fresh air and vitamin D!!!

today, i tried ani phyo's carrot angel hair with sun-dried tomatoes in cheddar cheeze sauce (p233 of ani's raw food essentials). i got tired of spiralizing carrots after 3 so i did one zucchini which quickly topped up my need for noodles. for the topping, i processed some cashews and pumpkin seeds with garlic and salt. i added nutritional yeast and some red pepper to ani's recipe for the cheddar cheeze sauce on p105. and then served the noodles with the topping (including chopped sun-dried toms) atop arugula. YES!!!

and add this to eating outside? best lunch.

though wait until you see what i made yesterday!

last morning in the cafeteria and on to incheon and narita airports!

last breakfast... last of my chia cereal, sundried tomatos, rawmesan, italian crackers... my chef friend gave me some oranges too. yippee!!!

i'm grateful to my go raw bars and gopal's nori sticks for getting me through the flights and waits to get home.

my vgml meals on japan airlines:

i couldn't eat all the white food! yuck! and the fruit salad was exactly like those fruit cups in the tin... gross! didn't touch the cherries. the dinner (middle picture) was definitely the best. it sucked that my least favourite selection was the one that was repeated.

my meat-eating friend still wished he had requested the vegan meal though! 

korean middle school cafeteria winter-styles day 20

my last full day at the school... i finished off my last package of rawgles, sliced some banana on top of my chia cereal (i have enough for tomorrow), and the salad was nice like last night and i added *roasted* nori again. i'm bringing home a full package of my raw nori. i just couldn't be bothered to make sushi much this time!

 my head chef friend presented me with a carrot rose... it tasted extra amazing. i miss eating carrots. i don't have much more than a few strips in a salad when i'm here!

 lunch... one lady working in the cafeteria said the kimchi was vegan but my head chef friend later told me it wasn't. i didn't expect it to be so i hadn't eaten any but took some to be polite. carrots and cukes were exciting! plus the last of my oil and vinegar atop of the salad with the last of my garden pesto crackers! and a banana snagged from breakfast. YAY!

 dinner.. a strange pairing... there was hot pot with fish intestine and such in it which of course i didn't partake in. the salad was served up in spaghetti which ended up being a sweet and red pepper paste spicy sauce that was animal free. i put 1/2 of the remainder of my sundried tomatoes and rawmesan on top expecting it to be the pasta sauce i had before. but it was fine. and i had taken the *roasted* nori - i ended up wrapping it in the leaf i picked up with the oranges. then i finished off the olives i brought, with help from friends ^_^ i gave one to the head chef to try and he couldn't finish it!

korean middle school cafeteria winter-styles day 18

breakfast... raw bagel (it wasn't in pieces!), *roasted* seaweed, chili salted sprouted almonds, olive oil and apple cider vinegar, salad and apples!

 lunch... perilla and green leaf lettuce leaves, ice berg lettuce, raw 'italian' crackers, sundried tomatoes, dulse, oil and vinegar...

 dinner... banana (later mashed up with the cacao nibs! YES!), and same salad as above...

korean middle school cafeteria winter-styles day 17

breakfast... broccoli? potatoes and carrots? oh my! warmed food but a welcome change. i didn't even have cereal this morning! ooh and the 'asian pears' - oh yes!!!

this salad had some sundried tomatoes and dulse and oil and vinegar and it was kind of depressing. but then i found out the squash soup was vegan. and it was delicious! YESSSSSSS!

dinner... nori potatoey covered noodles of some sort, steamed greens and salad. worked for me. but i ate way too much and felt sick afterwards.

korean middle school cafeteria winter-styles day 16

before breakfast, i couldn't help myself but eat ALL of the treats mipa gave me yesterday. ok, darren had ONE but still. these were like a less sweet, softer chewy lara bar: persimmon taste instead of date and almonds and 2 other kinds of nuts. how did i forget already? i'm so grateful for these. i have to detox from sugar right now. yesterday was insane. and i want to feel normal again! thank you so much, mipa for these little orbs of delight!

the last of my almond milk today :( but what a way to go! i soaked the chia cereal in it, sliced up 2 bananas and sprinkled cacao nibs on top. this is HEAVEN. totally doing this when i get home too. well, if i can get away from my blender in the morning. i can't WAIT to make smoothies again!

there were cherry tomatoes this morning so i added them with some sundried tomatoes to the *roasted* seaweed atop of the iceberg lettuce salad.

 lunch... not raw but wow... options! baked squash? just had some at loving hut last night. i LOVE it so much!!! and then a spicy leaf and onion thing that was vegan. yippee! and perhaps the end of my brown rice?

 dinner was sad... even for the meat-eaters. i put some dulse and sun-dried toms and apple cider vinegar on top of the salad. and then ate a (non-raw!) clif bar. and then tried some freeze dried rambutan (very strange and doesn't taste natural at all except the smell is the same) and some chickpea miso soup.

korean middle school cafeteria winter-styles day 10

breakfast... chia cereal (which i added apple slices too - i guess i forgot to include them in this photo!) and the usual salad and *roasted* seaweed...

 lunch salad... sundried tomatoes atop of the rest of a bag of rhythm superfoods zesty nacho kale chips and some olive oil to hold it all together. YES!

 dinner... not so exciting salad as there's just sundried tomato on top. BUT! there were bananas! and i had brought cacao nibs with me! i mashed up some bananas and oh goodness, was that the best. happy sigh!

korean middle school cafeteria day 13

hmm is this any surprise? salad and a chia cereal concoction! almost done the chocolate one now... i love that i brought the coconut now that i have a place for it. it will especially help the plain cereal i have coming up...













i have always had to hide tomatoes with other food to be able to eat them raw without gagging. i feel i have crossed some threshold. i can now eat a cherry tomato without disguise and without immediate veg chaser. hurrah! i think? added dulse and hemp hearts to dress up this salad.













i was super hungry for dinner so i added the last of my sesame gaufrettes and some hemp hearts, tamari and sundried tomatoes with nutritional yeast of course. i only eat this much nut yeast in korea! i wonder if that means something. oh and today i upped my e3 AFA supplement dose to 2. and i feel it made a difference. i feel way better than yesterday. totally needed the boost. but maybe it was the kids i teach. i love my class!