Raw Food Weekend in Santa Monica

Morning in Santa Monica

I travel to the Los Angeles area a lot for work and over the last few years, the west side of LA has become my second home. There are great hotels, a wide array of restaurants and just plenty to do and see. With average temperatures hovering at around 70 degrees, Santa Monica is simply an outdoor lover’s paradise. From surfing to sailing and biking to hiking – there is simply always something to do outdoors here.

My friend, Kirsten Gum lives and works here – so, I always have a real place to call home when I am in the area. Kirsten and I worked together on Cash and Treasures for Travel Channel. While Kirsten is great on-camera as the host of Cash and Treasures; what most people do not realize is that she is also a Raw Food Chef! Kirsten strives to live a completely green lifestyle in Santa Monica; getting around town by bike or bus (she does not own a car), composting her kitchen scraps and recycling wherever she can. So, whenever I come to visit she puts me through what she calls “K-Camp” where she coaches me on how to live a more healthful, green, and peaceful life. She called this weekend "Raw K-Camp" where she was going to teach me a few all-raw recipes that I can make at home.

Our first stop was over to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market to pick up some fresh ingredients to create an all raw Italian menu for dinner. Raw cuisine is all about preservation of the naturally occurring healthy nutrients found in foods. So, buying organic ingredients is key and there is no better place to find fresh, locally grown, organic produce than at your local farmers market. We walked through the stands and picked up some zucchini, fresh herbs, mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, spinach and a bushel of fresh flowers for the table before heading back to the kitchen.

In my family there has been a constant battle over whether or not to pre-boil your noodles before you build lasagna. There is also a discussion about whether or not to use ricotta – which I will firmly state that ricotta is a sure way to ruin a perfectly fabulous lasagna. I suggest using a béchamel sauce and layering that with a homemade red sauce that I simply call “gravy” (never a marinara). But alas, this is raw lasagna and there wasn’t a single noodle or a slice of cheese to be had.

We sliced the zucchini using a mandolin and then soaked the strips in a salt water brine to help with the drying process. The strips then get laid out on tea cloths for an hour or so to drain the remaining liquid. While the strips are dry, they are still flexible which will allow us to use them as our noodle in the dish.

Meanwhile, we prepared a quick raw pesto by tossing a bunch of fresh basil, some raw olive oil, pine nuts, miso paste ,some chopped garlic and a dash of Himalayan salt into a food processor. A few pumps on the processor and we have a vibrant green sauce that will tie this lasagna together.

Kirsten had already prepared a fresh raw marinara sauce and some pine nut paste for the dish. She told me that the pine nut paste will serve as our cheese. (I snickered to myself thinking about what my Italian Father-in-Law would say to that one!) We also marinated some fresh button mushrooms in some lemon juice and garlic and sliced up a few heirloom tomatoes for the build.

Using a small spring pan, we started by coating the bottom with a tablespoon of the pesto. We then placed the zucchini slices just as you would a pre-boiled lasagna noodle (notice that I will never give up on that fight). Then a little marinara, some mushrooms, a handful of fresh spinach and then the “cheese.” The pine nut paste is squeezed through a cheese cloth around the sides of the round pan to hold everything together.

We continue with the layering process, ending with a latticing of pine nut paste on top for presentation. Ok, so now you have what looks like a lasagna pie and since there is no cooking, I couldn’t help but ask, what’s next?

Kirsten walks me over to a dehydrator where she tells me that we will warm the lasagna to 105 degrees. Raw foodies believe that heating foods over 115 degrees is a sure fire way of cooking away all of those healthy enzymes that allow your body to absorb nutrients and aid in digestion. Kirsten sticks to 105 degrees to make sure that her foods never hit that dreaded 115 degree mark. An hour later, we are ready to eat. We made a few of the little lasagnas so we invited a bunch of friends over for a raw dinner party.

Raw Lasagna

Before everyone arrived, I dug a bamboo fork right into the center of one of those little lasagnas for a bite and I have to say… it was really good. Now, I will say that a pine nut paste is no replacement for any cheese let alone a nice mozzarella. However, if you just remind yourself that this is not traditional lasagna, you will be able to appreciate this nice healthy take on the original.

Dinner with Kirsten and friends in her backyard in Santa Monica

As I stepped on the flight back to the East Coast on Sunday afternoon, I was inspired to bring my new raw food education home with me. In a way that’s exactly what happens every time I travel. I take home bits and pieces of a destination and bring it home with me. Will I now argue with my family that we should use pine nut paste instead of mozzarella in lasagna? Probably not. But it’s not really about having to change anything; its about opening your mind to new ideas and flavors to inspire your taste buds and your cooking.

Travel On.
Lori

Taking a STAY-Cation... and loving it!

These days everyone is talking about how the price of everything is just skyrocketing. From our gasoline to our groceries... everything is just more expensive these days. It really hit me when I heard that Delta decided to start charging for the first piece of checked baggage! Oh, how else can they suck us out of every dime we make? All of this stretching of our under-valued dollar had me thinking about the summer ahead and how many of you told me that you decided not to travel this summer to save some cash. What is a summer without travel? There has to be a way for all of us to break free from our everyday lives to spend time with our families and refresh. I say... get out there. There are plenty of places to see in this great country and most of never thinking of just staying local and finding the cool things that are right around us. The last two weekends were busy for this family. We always head to Ocean City, Maryland for Memorial Day weekend to kick-off summer. Ocean City is about 3 and a half hours from our house... just enough to make it feel really "away" from our everyday. Our friends have a condo right on the beach and they have graciously invited us to join them for the long holiday weekend. They have two little boys... so, our kids get along great and just have a blast all weekend. To keep costs down, we always bring lots of staples with us so that we did not have to pay the "beach prices" for things like cereals, breads, coffee and snacks. We just picked up some dairy products for the fridge and we were set for breakfasts and lunches. Dinner for the kids is easy... they are so wiped from the day on the sand that they tend to eat lighter while they are there. So, the adults just ordered in some pizza or some fresh seafood. Yum and really cheap. The one thing that was a BIG find this year was a pizzeria/ restaurant called Lombardi's right down the street from the condo. I think it is on the main drag in the 90's... and it is on the opposite side of the street from the beach. The pizza at Lombardi's is amazing and totally worth the trip up to the Northern part of the beach. The owner was really friendly and once he realized I spoke Italian, he treated us like family. He even brought over his own balsamic vinegar for my salad and told me in Italian.. that it was not what he gives the normal patrons. I love Italian men... they are good looking and realize how good food is really all you need to keep your woman happy. (A Prada bag every once in a while is always nice too) But, I digress... My friend and I also took a few hours and made our way up to the Tanger Outlets up in Rehoboth Beach in Delaware (only a 10 minute drive from OC) to do a little outlet shopping. There are great sales over Memorial Day and we stocked up on kids clothes for the fall! Be sure to check online before you head out for extra coupons! This is always a fun weekend for us because it gives us real time with Eva. For us, getting away from the house and the computers gives us some real time to enjoy our girl. I loved giving her three meals a day without her nanny being there. I also loved playing with her on the beach and acting silly! I loved watching her ride the rides on te boardwalk for the first time. It was magic and a memory of my daughter that I will never forget. Again... only a few hours from home... and definitely on a budget.. but, it can be done. The very next weekend had us back on the road for another "stay-cation"... only this time... we were heading for a camping trip in the mountains of West Virginia. We felt that camping would be a little too much for a 2 year old ...so, she stayed back with her Aunt and Grandma for the weekend. Again, 3 and a half hours away from our home... and we were in the middle of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. Now, most of you know me... and you all know that one thing I am not is "one with nature." I hate bugs and I just do not deal well with not having the proper amenities (ie. bathrooms). However, with all of my third world travel... I have to say that I think I am cured. I mean, if you were to see the bathroom situation in China... you would think that all campgrounds in the US are like the Ritz. I promise... it is that bad. Anyway, so we went out to Seneca Rocks to tent camp for two nights. We went with our other friends, Fred and Ethel and their son... little Ricky. You might have remembered them from a previous blog when their dog had the issue on the airplane... yes, their dog came too. They are all experienced campers...so, we knew that we were in good hands. The boys left for camp a few hours before the girls (me, my friend and the dog) which was great because camp was already set up when we arrived. Our campsite was on a dead end and it was really clean with a beautiful view of the main mountain in the area. Another plus was that the bathroom was only yards away. Now this is my kind of camping! For our first night, we grilled up some nice steaks and asparagus and drank some nice cold beers. When the sun went down, the boys made an amazing campfire and we just roasted marshmallows. OK... stop the blog!! I have to tell you that I never knew love until I tried a s'mores!! You know, I always heard of them... but, for some reason... I just never tried one before... and OH MY GOD! I love them. The graham crackers, the milk chocolate and those yummy gooey marshmallows! I must have had 6 the first night! Delish! OK... back to the action... That first night in the tent was fine. I fell right asleep in the cool mountain air and the sounds of the crickets in the woods. The problem was that damn ball of fire that came up at 6am the next morning. Nobody told me how HOT tents get! Holy cow... it was like a sauna. I guess it was a good thing because it got us all up bright and early. After a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs, we all got dressed and went out on a 5 mile hike up to the top of the mountain. There are several trails at Seneca Rocks, and this one brought us out to the main area where there is a general store and then right into the mountains. The hike to the top took us about an hour and a half and it was just awesome. It is amazing to get out and just enjoy your surroundings. Take a look at the pix... it was just incredible and I highly recommend it. We are already planning our next hike when we go up to Lake George for our family vacation next month. After the long hike, we came back and grilled up some lunch and just relaxed at camp. There is really no way that you can nap at in a tent... again, the blasted sun will roast you. So, you just have to chill... I sat in the shade of a tree and read my book for a couple of hours... something that I never have time to do at home. That night we grilled up some chicken and veggies and enjoyed another night under the stars around the campfire. I think I had 6 more smores before I forced myself to go to sleep. That is my new obsession... forget ice cream... I am buying a fire pit and I will be out in my backyard all summer roasting marshmallows for smores! Let me give a quick shout out to the bathroom attendant at this campsite. I will say that it was a typical bathroom. Nothing really special.. but, they did add some special touches that I really appreciated. First thing... it was very clean for a camp bathroom. Second thing... there was always plenty of paper products and liquid handsoap. Lastly... there were flowers on the counter! The little touches! You see, and you thought I was a high maintenance biatch from Long Island. Please. I appreciate!! The one mental note I did make while I was showering in that bathroom is just how little I really need to be comfortable. While I love a clean hotel and nice amenities, this experience made me realize how nice it is to have the simplest things. I think my next hotel stay is going to be great because I am going to appreciate all of the basics so much more! After breakfast we cleaned up camp and made our way back to Maryland. Again, another cool 3 and a half hours and what a beautiful trip it was. The scenery is spectacular and it made me realize how amazingly beautiful this country is. Yes, the dollar is in the shitter and the price of gas is through the roof. Yes, you would need to take a loan out to travel to Europe. But... why bother? Everything that you need to have to make this summer memorable is right in your ow backyard! Get out there and explore your American cities... go to the places that you reserve for when you have out of town guests. Take local road trips on weekends... try something new... but, get out there and enjoy.