Spring - Rain - Strawberries

Here it is, 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 6, 2011- about 3 months after starting my raw adventure.  A visit to Cafe Gratitude with my daughter-in-law Lisa, (who has such a knack for choosing places I will love) has grown into my full tilt dive into raw foods.  Several additional stops at Cafe Gratitude and some online ordering has my kitchen all set up.  I have been entertaining myself with new raw yumminess at every opportunity.


Today there is a cool spring rain, leading my thoughts to gardens, vegetables, and what fun this gardening season will be for me as a 'raw' tenderfoot.  Already I am rapidly depleting the stash of semi-dry tomatoes in my freezer from last summer's harvest.  Clearly I will need four times as many for the coming year.  I have eaten raw tomato soup for days, recently switching to asparagus-pea with red pepper oil, thanks to  Heather Pace of Sweetly Raw.com.  Then there are my own Sicilian Orange Salads just about daily.  Winter in California is almost more fun for produce than the main summer production season.  Kale smoothies, chard salad with raisins and pine nuts (thank you Jennifer Cornbleet), and all the lovely avacados, citrus and dates.  Just not suffering here.


You are probably wondering where the strawberries enter this post.  Yesterday, the first of the season organic fresh strawberries appeared in our local Safeway, and my initial attempt at raw cheese cake is in the fridge setting.  The recipe is from Vanessa Sherwood: "White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake."  It looks so tantalizing as it primly sits there chilling and getting ready for dessert hour.  And now, time to fix some lunch.  Check back soon, I will be posting pictures of some of my recent adventures in the Land of Raw.  I love it here, plan to stay!

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