My friend and colleague Marie, along with her boyfriend, Todd, follow elements of the ‘raw’ diet to stay healthy. Never heard of it? It’s a diet and lifestyle based on unprocessed, uncooked plant foods. Heavy on fruits and vegetables, it also incorporates nuts, seeds and grains. Food is never heated above 116 degrees, as raw foodists believe it diminishes the ‘life value’ of the food’s nutrition.
At first it sounds crazy restrictive and not too much fun. But as we learned more about it – and three other Courant colleagues underwent a 30-days raw experiment in the spring of 2008 – we found that you can get really creative with raw-approved ingredients like nuts, agave nectar and sea salt. See Marie and Todd’s raw apple pie demonstration on YouTube, for example.
Even healthier – and easier – is the green smoothie, which I’m enjoying for breakfast today as part of this week’s healthy eating kick. It’s a blend of leafy greens, frozen fruit and water (I used frozen spinach, papaya, mango, pineapple and a splash of OJ for more flavor.) It’s a fantastic way to get in several servings’ worth of fruits and veggies.
Trust me when I say it’s not nearly as scary as it sounds. I grew up on MicroMagic cheeseburgers and at nearly 29, I’m still working on learning to love veggies. If I can do it, so can you.
Here are some of Marie’s favorite green-smoothie recipes…
I love tapas restaurants. Not just for the exciting flavors of Spanish cuisine, but the small-plate concept, which allows you to taste several different bites without committing to a full entreé.
Sierra Grille in Northampton, one of our favorite Paradise City establishments, fully understands that their customers like to mix it up. They’ve structured their menu to include more than 20 varied “small bites” and appetizers, encouraging diners to make a meal of them. There’s just one problem: you’re going to want to order everything. Read the rest of this entry »
The rogan josh was a little too much for her. (Photo by Nick Caito)
New year, new tastes. We took Sara Grant out for her first palate-expanding meal Friday, introducing her to the flavors of the east at West Hartford’s Taste of India.
She was apprehensive as she perused the menu, but with tips and suggestions from each of us, she bravely tried lots of new dishes. While her chicken korma was a little too heavy on the ginger, she liked the tomato-based chicken tikka masala and the paneer-stuffed naan. A bite of spicy rogan josh threw her for a loop, though.
We’ll let the following photos and video tell the rest of the story (thanks, photographers Nick Caito and Diana Guay for making my life easier!)
I missed the first airing of Food Network’s “Worst Cooks In America,” so I caught a rerun last night. I’m not normally a fan of chef-competition shows, surprising as that might seem. I don’t watch “Top Chef” or “Chopped” or “Food Network Star.” But I figured this one might be worth a laugh. And it was – some of the contestants’ dishes were so abysmal that I fancied myself a regular Julia Child in comparison.
I reviewed this yummy burger joint for the Hartford Courant’s Cal entertainment section this week. Read the full review here.
If you’re around the Buckland Hills or Evergreen Walk shopping areas, Corey’s is just a few miles away in downtown Manchester. Fun atmosphere, really great food. Try the alphabet soup if you want to feel like a kid again.
Thanks, Courant editors, for the Fun With Carbs shoutout in print!
Leeanne Griffin is a freelance writer and food enthusiast.
