Raw Salad

I know what you're thinking...aren't ALL salads raw?  Not so much.  Check out this (g)astronomical list from Men's Health.  Or this one from examiner.com.  Blech.
I am trying to eat 75-80% raw for the summer.  Today is day 5.  For this to work it needs to be fairly simple, relatively economical, not at all fanatical, and delicious.
I created this salad solely based upon what we already had in the house.  I have no intention of following difficult recipes with complicated ingredients to make raw versions of foods that were never meant to be raw in the first place.  This is more of a suggestion than a recipe.  You can take a few ideas from it and then go to town with your own salad.
Raw Salad
Suggested Ingredients
greens (I used spinach)
beets
carrots
cucumbers
raw cloves of garlic
coarse sea salt
pepper
fresh lemon juice
Pile greens on each plate.  Grate about 1/3 c. raw beets onto each salad.  Grate or chop about 1/3 c. carrots onto each salad. Chop about 1/2 cucumber and add to each salad.  Chop 2 cloves garlic per salad and put on top of salad.  Drizzle lemon juice, sprinkle salt and pepper.  Enjoy.
If you are not eating completely raw, you might add some green olives or high quality olive oil.

Chilean Rice with Peas

Inspired by an amazing five-course meal I was treated to last weekend at a local, swanky restaurant, I decided to try serving our dinner tonight in courses.  You see, I had noticed that the whole reasoning behind French Women Don't Get Fat becomes very apparent when dining as the French dine.  Our five courses took about 2 hours to consume.  Each course was a small serving of food, offered by itself, on its own plate, with space between courses.  I am not sure if it was the size of each serving, the explosion of flavors or the atmosphere of the restaurant, but something about it made me want to eat slowly and savor each and every bite.  I found myself willingly putting my fork down between bites and enjoying both the culinary experience and the incredible company.  I also found myself completely satisfied, full even, when the meal was over.
It was the polar opposite of our dinners at home.
Though I share at least two meals a day with my kids, and usually three, we are often rushed.  Sometimes, we don't have any reason to be rushed except that my kids eat fast!  The kids always request seconds, no matter how big their initial portion might have been.  Now I am not concerned about their weight.  They are all very active.  I am concerned about our grocery bill, though.  We rarely have left-overs and this is starting to hurt our bottom line.
So tonight, I made a very simple meal.  Before eating, I told the kids all about my great five-course meal and we talked about different ways to savor the food.  I suggested we all try putting our forks down between bites.  They thought this was a fun idea, mostly because I made it sound French.
First we had a garden salad while the rice and peas cooked.  I timed it so that there would be about ten minutes to wait for the rice and peas to finish cooking after the salad course.  I served the rice and peas (on the same plate as the salad by the way -- I don't intend to do more dishes than necessary) and removed the pot from the table.  We slowly ate and talked about our day, stories we had heard from friends who had recently returned from a vacation, memories of our own most recent vacation, and a few other odds and ends.
FInally, after everyone ate their rice and peas, my husband got up and made a fruit salad.  He served a small plate up for each of us, which we enjoyed while discussing how meals are shared in various other countries.
By the time the meal ended, nobody asked for seconds, an entire second meal of rice and peas existed, and my eldest (who is my biggest eater) exclaimed that she was stuffed.  Success.
It would be difficult to do this at every meal.  If we can do it just 3 times a week, though, we will have a lot more left-overs, some longer, more intimate conversations, and certainly a healthier digestive system.  And though we did have to wash the dessert plates, it did not require that much extra work.  In fact, the rice and peas, as you will see, was very simple to make and, due to the structure of our meal, completely satisfying.
Chilean Rice and Peas***
serves 5 -- TWICE!
2-3 T. Olive Oil
1-2 large yellow or white onions, chopped or sliced thin (your preference)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 c. brown rice, rinsed
7 c. vegetable broth, boiling (you CAN add it cold, but it will take longer to cook)
2-3 c. frozen peas
course sea salt to taste (optional)
Heat oil over medium in a large pot.  Add the onion and cook until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Add the raw rice and cook another 3 minutes, making sure to stir once or twice.  Add the broth, bring to a boil, and simmer until the rice is al dente.  Add the peas (frozen) and stir.  Cook about 5 minutes to warm peas.  Serve, top each serving with a little coarse sea salt, and savor.
***Lest you worry that serving this a main dish will not provide enough protein, note that peas, simple little peas, have more protein than lentils and beans.  They are fantastic little legumes!