Light Eating for Survival

"Light Eating for Survival" Blog Project a la the movie Julie & Julia.

1 Year. 481 Recipes. 1 ambitious mama.

Days 1, 2, and 3.

I've been saying for months that I need to eat more green, healing food. I've been downing salads and green juice, which has been good. The problem is that I've lacked focus on what to make. I have so many raw food books that sometimes it gets overwhelming. I'd said before I would focus on my favorite foods. I quickly realized that I am a foodie. I love trying new food. Sticking with the same stuff all the time was boring me.

When the movie Julie and Julia came out last week (I will see it soon), I was inspired. I thought, "huh, sticking with one book will keep my focus. I have a hundred things to do everyday. Maybe this will make preparing my raw meals easier." Rather than make all the recipes in a current raw food book, I was drawn to an undeservedly obscure and out-of-print book called Light Eating for Survival which I have owned for over a year.

Written by a then 21-year-old Marcia Madhuri Acciardo, in 1977, this is a true classic. With cover art and inside the book art by Peter Max, a book that originally sold for $6.00, now goes for $144.47 (the highest price I found) on Amazon.com.

I tracked down Marcia to get her permission to do this, and she graciously said yes.

I want this book to get more publicity. I don't know if it was the first raw vegan recipe book published, but it has to be one of the first. In the era of celebrity raw food chefs who push the most outrageously expensive ingredients and appliances, this book is unpretentious. No Vita-Mixes, no dehydrators, no drama. The ingredients that you can't find at your local grocery store: nutritional yeast, miso, slippery elm, comfrey, and other herbs, you can find in a health food store.

With 481 recipes packed into a slim, spiral bound 105 pages, I thought, "I'm up for a challenge. Why not? Life is good (way good). Let's make it better."

Presenting the first three days of my Light Eating for Survival Project: Lemonade

1 lemon juiced (I used 2)
3-4 cups of water (I used 3)
honey to taste (I didn't measure, but used enough until it was sweet to me)

I put everything in a mason jar and shook it. The only thing I did wrong was that I juiced the lemons with the rind on. Duh! It tasted great, but the longer it sat, I could feel the bitterness rising. Perhaps I should peel the lemons first! :-)

Heaven and Earth
1/2 carrot
1/2 apple
Juice

I juiced 2 carrots and 2 apples. I've always loved this combination. Sweet and simple.

Kid Friendly Smoothies:
Raymond loved these. When your child says, "Can I have some more?" you know it tastes good.

Date Shake
1 cup apple juice
1 banana
1/4 cup pitted dates
Blend

Carob Date Shake
1 cup apple juice
1 banana
1/4 cup soaked pitted dates or raisins
1 oz. soaked walnuts
1 tablespoon carob powder
Blend
I already had soaked dates in the fridge. Soak them until they are soft. I soaked the walnuts for an hour.

Pie Crust #4
2 cups mashed pitted dates

1 cup ground walnuts

1/4 shredded coconut

I mixed everything in my food processor until it formed a ball. Then I pressed it into a pie plate. Apple Pie Filling

8 grated Pipin or Cortland apples

2 chopped apples

1 tablespoon Cinnamon

2 tablespoon chopped walnuts (optional. I did use them)

1 lemon sliced

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoon

coconut

Mix everything together. Spread on the crust. Sprinkle coconut on the top. Refrigerate.

I completely forgot to put shredded coconut on this pie! That is my bad. The only change I made was that I juiced one lemon and added it to the mix to my taste. I also ate it with a cashew cream sauce (2 cups cashews, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, agave to taste. Add water, just to the top. Blend.) This was melt in your mouth good. Me and my husband fought over the last piece. We like apple anything in my house, so making this was a no-brainer.

Until next time!

love,

Althea

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Light Eating for Survival