Vegan Experiments!

Eventually, I want to be able to "cook" raw, vegan food so well that Casey will enjoy it. There will be a learning curve. I look forward to taking some classes, but for now I am experimenting with recipes. I have a hard time giving up the sweets, but I know I can't eat processed sugar very often. White death, as my big brother calls it. Yesterday I made vegan ice cream and a vegan chocolate cake. Casey didn't like either of them. The cake was not a success. The batter stayed exactly like I left it with my rubber spatula, so it vaguely resembled a large pile of dog poop. It didn't taste too great, either. I really like the ice cream, myself. I made it in my blender and froze it in my Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment. The ingredients are simple: cashews, blue agave maple syrup, water, vanilla and unsweetened cocoa. Mix it all together, put it in the freezer and it actually looks like chocolate ice cream! I think it's pretty good. It's possible Casey might have liked it better if he hadn't seen the ingredients. He kept saying "where's the milk? How is this ice cream?"

I have learned to never say never in this life. I'm sure I will have real cake and ice cream on my birthday. I'm sure that once in awhile I'll have a glass of wine or a cocktail. I know I won't be able to eat 100% raw, and 80% may be difficult. I hear there's a vegan restaurant in Los Osos, and Colby Jack's does well with vegans, but restaurants could be tricky. I often wish there was a hippie enclave in the north county. Sydney is so lucky to live in Ventura with Mary's Secret Garden!! I know that, in order to keep this cancer away for good, I must change my habits.

It's a beautiful, sunny morning here in A-town. Yesterday it was gray most of the day so it's a welcome sight. Debbie brought me her students' entries in the AJHS writing contest, so today I get to read student writing and feel like a teacher for awhile! Grading is usually a chore, but it's all a part of missing the kids and I actually miss it. English teachers, by reading their students' papers, get a glimpse into their minds, lives and creative processes. Sometimes it's painful - we become experts at atrocious handwriting, for example - but often it is lovely. I love sharing our writing together. I write what they write, show them my messy process, and we all become closer. My favorite thing to teach, after Shakespeare, is poetry. I love reading and explicating poems with them, and I love when we write together. I love the boys whose mom's call me to say their son just can't write a poem. I don't grade poetry A,B,C,D,F - who wants to stifle their creativity? So, if your poem has what the assignment asked for, full credit. Sooner or later all of them write poetry, even the most reluctant boy. Many of them even share it in class. I have gobs of poetry I've written in class with my kids. Some of it's pretty good!

So, Tuesday. Maria is coming to clean our grubby house, I'm going to Cathy's noon yoga class where she's going to start teaching me how to do a tripod headstand, I'll take a walk in the sun with Casey and the dogs, and I have a lot of thank you notes to write. Hopefully I'll get my CA125 results today - 7!!! I feel happy.

My favorite dish from Tahiti, poisson cru, which is definitely NOT vegan:

I will always have to eat sushi and sashimi from time to time!!

Namaste,

Jill