Eat Raw, Eat Well, Run Fast

I have a tiny kitchen. This is logical, since my entire apartment is a mere 200 square feet, most of which is taken up with my cat and cat-related items. Due to this, I've been turning more and more often to raw foods, as it usually takes less effort, space and tools to create a raw dish than a cooked one. I'd been searching for a new one to supplement my collection, with none of them quite speaking to me, when I was contacted about reviewing Eat Raw, Eat Well by Douglas McNish. Holy cauliflower, this book is fantastic. Beyond sharing information about transitioning to a raw diet, creating a raw kitchen and information about buying raw ingredients, there are also cooking tips and nutritional information with every single recipe, which allows for an astounding amount of information to be contained in this behemoth of a book. And the food? I've eaten the Greek Salad for dinner for a few weeks and can't seem to be get sick of it. Why would I? With Cashew Feta Cheese and Lemon Avocado Dressing, it's light and refreshing and incredibly satisfying. I'm so excited to continue exploring the amazing recipes in this book, and with recipes such as Jalapeno Poppers, Banana Pecan French Toast and Eggplant Parmesan, it's going to be a good trip.

On a side note, I have noticed my running has reacted so positively to eating more raw foods. I've been doing green smoothies in the morning and raw dinner and ten miles suddenly feels more like seven, which is an amazing experience. Isn't it funny how what we put into our body effects how it performs? More kale!

Nebraska Vegans May be Spoiled: Part One

Nebraska. The word conjures up a vegan wasteland, often prompting questions along the lines of "can you even eat there?" However, Nebraskan vegans have a lot going on, from our $6 Vegetarian Platter at Omaha Ethiopian Restaurant (25th and Leavenworth) to Taj Mahal's two page vegan menu (located in Lincoln) to the aforementioned TLTs from McFoster's, we have quite a bit to choose from.

In fact, I thought it was pretty darn good.

But it got better. Much better. Mind-blowingly better.

I found out about Clean Plate brunch. Clean Plate is the brainchild of Elle Lien, who creates some of the best food I have ever eaten. Each Sunday, she is kind enough to invite people into her home for a $5 all you can eat, mostly raw, vegan brunch. I wasn't sure what to expect the first time I went there, but after inhaling about a billion pieces of onion bread with asparagus pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, I knew my culinary life in Omaha would never be the same.

Each week, Elle outdoes herself with amazing creations that have me thinking about brunch all week long. Here are some photos from this week's raw crepe feast:
























Highlights included raw sweet crepes, to be topped with peanut butter sauce or chocolate sauce, raw savory crepes to be topped with lemon hollandaise or a concoction of basil, tomatoes and mushrooms, asparagus pesto scrambled tofu (best I've ever had), ONION BREAD (totally obsessed with this), delicious croquettes made with sunflower seeds, waffles, leeks, a walnut and (I'm guessing) nectarine salad and fresh berries. To drink, there was a strawberry-type smoothie (delish), coffee and water. All for $5. All I could eat. Seriously. This is what my dreams are made of.

In short, I already knew that Nebraska was secretly awesome. Elle really hits this point home with her amazing brunches where she consistently outdoes herself by creating absolutely incredible food. I am most definitely looking forward to when she opens her Clean Plate restaurant in August during the Empty Room series. That's right, a raw, vegan restaurant in Nebraska. Nebraska Vegans may be spoiled.