Rant Turned Revelation

Okay, this was going to start off as a rant, but then I had a moment of clarity. I've been getting a lot of raw food "cook"books from the library. I got RAWvolution by Matt Amsden and love it. I remember last year, someone told me, "Oh, that book is too gourmet for you. You should start off with something simple."

Now that I've read Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis and RAW
by Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein, I realize that RAWvolution is nowhere near gourmet, period. When you have recipes like "Pumpkin and Squash Couscous with habanero harissa, currants, and almond oil" or "Marinated Exotic Mushrooms with Kohlrabi and Arugula," those are gourmet. So, at first, I was annoyed. I was like, "Who in the heck has time to make these recipes? Don't these people realize I have children?"

But then it hit me.
- First, not everyone has children. That is a choice I have made for myself and I am glad I made that choice.

- Second, there is a HUGE market for any cookbook that caters to parents. There's a REALLY good reason why Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld is a New York Times Number One bestseller. Parents want to feed their kids more veggies but don't know how.

- Third, (here's the big revelation) I could be part of that trend that helps parents get their kids to eat more veggies. My children have been vegan since birth. Now I'm giving them, slowly, more raw vegan food. I do not have all the answers. I'm working on myself first. But I know I can be of assistance the more I learn and transition my family from vegan to raw vegan. There are a few books out there. The one I have read is Storm and Jinjee Talifero's e-book Raising Raw Vegan Children (at www.thegardendiet.com).

- Fourth, gourmet raw recipes definitely serve a fantastic purpose. It shows people what is possible with raw food. And these people are true foodies. The "Banana Chocolate Tart with Caramel and Chocolate Sauce" in RAW looks so good I could climb through the pages and eat it. But I'll make it in about 10 years when my children are more independent. In the meantime, I'll stick with the Basic Recipes in the Appendix of RAW. I'll start with the Chocolate Fudge-Almond. Five ingredients. Blend in a food processor. Now that's what I'm talkin' about! I'll let you know how it turns out! ◦

Rant Turned Revelation