Sunday night was the annual Golden Globe awards. Usually, we get all decked out in old formal wear (my mom saved our prom, bridesmaid and other special occasion dresses for this purpose), pose on our red carpet (a piece of scarlet fabric reserved for these festive affairs) and snack on finger foods, as we watch our favorite award shows (Academy Awards and Emmy night included).This year, the Globes were toned down a bit, due to what was going on in Haiti and the rain sprinkling down at home. There were showers at the show and here at my parents' house. My mom was also a little under the weather herself, so as a result, our award night was spent more like most home viewers; cozy on the couch in comfy attire, munching on something convenient.
My family sent out for subs, but lucky for me, my mom had already picked up a ginormous veggie and fruit tray. She also always has snacks sitting around for entertaining, such as dried fruits, nuts, trail mix, etc. I was so set for the event.If she had felt up to it, my mom had planned on making a variety of appetizers, including her mini egg rolls, requested by my sister. This inspired me to make my raw vegan version of the filling seen here. It is a combination of shredded cabbage, carrots, mung bean sprouts, celery, peas and mock ground "chicken." The imitation poultry is made out of cashews, walnuts, mushrooms and poultry seasoning, as well as the other flavors used in the filling. I added olive oil, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, agave (but just a little) and some Old Bay seasoning (the not-so-secret ingredient in my mom's recipe).
Sometimes I roll this mixture in large romaine or collard green leaves. I also like to use nori wraps. But, my favorite way to eat the filling is right out of the bowl. It's not pretty, but it sure does taste good.Unfortunately, Hayden's tummy doesn't love it so much, as she seemed to be bothered when I ate this dish, as well as the other cabbage-based raw meal pictured in this post. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as cabbage is near the top of the list of foods that many breastfeeding moms find they should avoid.
Since it is not like me to let things go to waste, I consumed the rest of the cabbage and the bean sprouts in this lightly-cooked soup (yes, I used the word "cooked"). Each veggie was added one at a time to create the broth, cooking only slightly to preserve its color and crisp texture. Hayden ended up preferring this method better.
This wouldn't be the first time I've had better luck with a non-raw veggie, which has led me to experiment a bit with my diet lately. I'm still fairly high raw, but definitely not 100 percent. I'll explain more soon.
