The Raw Chef

I'm in!

I finally made it!  I've moved to Cambridgeshire and i'm pretty much settled in my new flat.  What an ordeal moving house is though! 

I'm sitting in a rather interesting internet cafe in Cambridge at the moment, listening to some soothing guitar music that they're playing and drinking my cranberry & vanilla tea.  There's lots of books on shelves and a wooden floor, it's also full of very interesting looking people!  Seems like i'm back in 'ye olde times', all very English! 

So my life during and since the move...I feel like my right arm has been cut with not having internet at home (hence the reason for not blogging for a while).  How did I ever manage before the internet was invented?  My phone line gets put in on Thursday and I feel like things can return to normal.

The move itself wasn't without it's challenges.  Firstly, Paul, who was going to drive the van up for me is under 25 so they wouldn't insure him and I had to drive it.  That meant that I had to also drive it back and then drive my car back up, bearing in mind that it's 160 miles each way!!!  Then there was the small matter of nearly taking the roof off the van on the low bridge in Ely.  Luckily they've got big signs that flash up when your vehicle is too tall because I missed all the massive signs and stopped just before the bridge.  Karen and Lel had to get out and stop the traffic behind me to allow me to reverse back up the slope - very embarrassing, but also quite amusing.

On the ball

I've come to realise the power of focus and sticking with a job until it's finished.  In the past it's been a real weakness of mine to start something more appealing when there's still work to be done on a current project.  This past week, with my house move looming, i've consciously been resisting that temptation in an effort to improve my productivity and get everything done.  Isn't it amazing that when you notice how often you do things, it's really surprising how much you do them?  I would catch myself every couple of minutes thinking, "i'll just check my email" or, "i really need to phone...".

Being into all things natural I like to look to nature for clues, especially animals.  It was no surprise to me when, on Friday, I was emailed this wonderful story from Bob Perks.

He's focused.  I mean really focused.  His eye is on the ball and nothing with distract him.

A little bit saucy

As promised in my last post, here are the 2 sauces that go really well with a slice of Schnuggle!

Ginger Cream

Prep time 10 mins      How easy is this recipe? *(1 star)

Ingredients

1 cup cashews

4 tablespoons cashew butter

1/4 cup coco butter

1/2 cup agave

1 tablespoon fresh ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

- Blend all ingredients together.

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Strawberry sauce

2 cups strawberries

1/2 cup agave

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons nutmeg

Method

- Blend all ingredients together.

Love chocolate?

If you love chocolate and you have someone to love then you could do alot worse than making this chocolate torte on Valentines day.  If you haven't got someone to love then love yourself for a while ;-)  Here is the recipe for the torte that I made for the last raw dinner party so I can assure you that you'll make an impression with it!

Cut yourself a slice, curl up on the sofa for a while...

Spice things up a little

I received my first delivery of spices from Steenbergs yesterday.  They are a great resource for organic herbs and spices and even have some harder to find ingredients such as tamarind, which i've been trying to find for ages so I can make a tamarind dipping sauce (recipe will be posted soon!).

I ordered a few trial sizes of spices such as La Kama from Tangiers which they describe as, "An exotic spice blend that gives a warm and aromatic style to Moroccan dishes."  And Tagine Spice Mix, "a highly aromatic blend of sweet and hot spices".

I also got the 'Thai Kitchen' spice box with 9 different spices in there.  My Kale and avocado salad has been Thai Kale salad ever since that delivery!

If you're in the UK check out their selection, it may inspire you to create a new wonderful dressing for that salad that's starting to get a bit 'tired'!

For our friends from the USA, you have an amazing resource for organic 'erbs & spices here.

A little time for reflection

All but 2 of the references are in, the van is booked, the army of helpers are assembled (so grateful for friends that are willing to help) and the work is waiting. It's now less than a week until I move from the Sussex coast up to Cambridgeshire and i'm starting to get excited.

I've moved house so many times in the last few years that i'm getting a bit of a pro at it but that doesn't mean it's enjoyable!  The only thing that will keep me going is the thought of the end result, which is the same with any goal, sometimes it's painful but if you know you're 'why' the 'how' becomes easy.

The last time I moved to an area that I didn't know was when I moved to Manchester in 2002.  That was such a great adventure.  I didn't know a single person there but found the people so welcoming, even though I am a 'Southerner'.  Although it wasn't without copious amounts of 'ribbing' for my strange accent.  It was while I was in Manchester that I started to find out about juicing and detoxing.  I can remember watching a TV program on detoxing featuring Spa Samui in Thailand and thinking, "I wonder if that would help clear my skin?"  I went, and it did!  Seeing that program changed my life (who says TV can't have a positive effect ;-)) because on that trip I found raw foods.

You'll have to excuse my reminiscing, I get very reflective at times of change.  I like to take stock of what has brought me to any certain point in my life.  I marvel and give thanks to all those things that have enabled me to be at this point, right here and now.