What I'm Reading Currently

While I am reading Raising Your Spirited Child for very obvious reasons (to save the dear little boy's life) I also have a couple of books checked out in an effort to glean some vegan and raw recipes, techniques and tips.  Looking for new inspiration and new healthy ingredients to add into our repertoire.

The first book I scanned for recipes/tips was Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet.  This book was focused mainly on macrobiotics, which is fine. Back in 2004 we did the mostly macrobiotic diet to become healthier and I shed 13 pounds I did not know that I had to lose. Bonus! I already have the Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics from way back when so I didn't feel compelled to check out a lot of her recipes but a few things went on my list of things to try: Fried Udon Noodles,  Pecan Crusted Seitan, Pan Fried Mochi, and Moroccan Couscous with Saffron.

As a result of the quick afternoon of perusing her book I finally made a meal with tempeh. It was wolfed down by the whole family so we'll definitely incorporate tempeh into the mix. Now that I think about it, it might not have been a result of reading her book. I got the tempeh before I had her book but I was inspired to cook with it after I returned her book so I will give Alicia the credit.

Tempeh Stir Fry - yum!

 
I also purchased some mochi from the new store in town and we'll be trying it out this weekend. Not the pan fried version but the cashew/date baked version. We are already brown rice converts (organic short grain); a carryover from the mostly macrobiotic days.

The second book I've been scanning for recipes/tips is Ani's Raw Food Essentials - this book was listed on Gena's recommended reading list for the newly raw-curious. So far I've gotten some good recipes to try and I am inspired to make my own vanilla extract and kimchi very soon.  I have also wanted to try raw cheeze to see if it's something that is actually palatable so I jotted down the Basic Cheeze and Chipotle Cheeze recipes.  Ani has a wonderful sounding Mexican Lime Soup that I may un-cook this week and the other recipes on the list to try are her Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles, Sesame Noodles and Tamari Almonds.

The last book in my queue is Skinny Bitch, Ultimate Everyday Cookbook .... it looks promising...and I hope to have some time this week to glean some good stuff from it.