From Oprah to Kevin Bacon?

You've gotta read the whole post to make sense of this title.

If you haven't noticed yet, Rawdorable can now be seen in two places at once. Whenever I add a blog post here, it also gets posted (although more like a teaser, which takes you back here) on the We Like It Raw Quickies page (Philip and Anthony's blogs are also getting the same treatment; check them out, and tell them I sent you).

So, that means, I'm syndicated. I'm like Oprah (like I really needed to add that link). Okay, maybe not Oprah, but it was the first show that taught me what it means to be viewed in syndication.

"Uma ... Oprah! Oprah ... Uma! Oprah, Oma ... Keanu!" This may be a not-so-funny joke from David Letterman at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995, but it is also a little like how my brain works sometimes.

Uma, as in Uma Thurman, was once married to Ethan Hawke, my celebrity crush growing up. I was a huge fan of his in Reality Bites (I once danced around to "My Sharona" in a convenience store, like in this clip from the film) and Before Sunrise (one of my all-time favorite movies; here's a cute scene).

But did you see him in the follow up, Before Sunset? I enjoyed the movie, but not as much for the eye candy as I did with the first film. I think my past love could have benefited from a raw diet.

My husband, although not raw, is at least making attempts to try it, like with our new "Thursday Night Raw" tradition, where he has agreed to eat a raw meal one evening per week. This past Thursday (I know you've all been curious about the menu), I made a raw version of my mom's taco salad, a recipe that was really big in the 80's (This is the basic recipe everyone made at the time).

It was pretty simple to "rawify." Of course, I had the lettuce and tomato, and I swapped out the onion for cucumbers (Matthew isn't down with the onions). Then, I added some walnut taco "meat" and shredded carrot instead of cheese.

Like the original, the whole salad was tossed in a Catalina dressing, although I made a raw version. Here's my rawified dressing recipe:

Catalina in the Raw
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for a least a few hours
1/3 cup soaking liquid (from the tomatoes)
1/2 cup agave
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. onion powder (or fresh, to taste)
dash of paprika
pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

I also sprinkled the top of the salad with some mock Frito's, I made in my dehydrator. Although not the most photogenic dish of my blogging career, it really tasted a lot like my mother's, which in my book, made this one a success.

Matthew, on the other hand, would beg to differ. But, I do have to say, he was a good sport for finishing his whole bowl. He liked everything in it, except for the dressing, which he neglected to inform me was something he didn't even like prior to my rawifying it.

According to him, he's not fond of the orange dressings, usually opting for Caesar (Caesar salad is his fav), Ranch or Blue Cheese, so I won't take it personally. Hey, at least he tried it for me.

So, for dessert, I gave him one of his favorites, simply strawberries and bananas. His mom usually makes it for him out of thawed sweetened sliced strawberries (those found in the freezer section) and sliced bananas, but I made mine using fresh berries, agave, a touch of vanilla, and bananas, of course (it wouldn't be strawberries and bananas without them).

I tossed the fruit in a bowl my grandmother gave me when she moved. At the time, I told her it looked like something Rachael Ray had in her "30 Minute Meals" kitchen on t.v. To my surprise, I actually saw her use that same bowl on her show on numerous occasions. One time she used it to make scones.

But now, I am just typing in circles with no end to this post in site. So, I'll leave you with one more example of what goes into my crazy thinking process. One thing leads to another just like that six degrees of Kevin Bacon game (You can link any actor to him in six role links or less). Let's play one quick round.

Oprah Winfrey was in The Color Purple with Lawrence Fishburne, who was in Mystic River with Kevin Bacon. Too easy.

P.S. My Thursday meal packed well for my lunch yesterday, as seen in the top pic. Delish!