i can bake bread

i'm in the process of shifting my dietary habits. for some time i've wanted to eat food in more natural forms. even dabbled with the idea of becoming vegetarian in practice, if not by declaration. really, being vegan wouldn't be that difficult for me either. so recently, when i found myself preparing to move into yet another new living situation, i jumped at the opportunity to take some action on these burgeoning ideas.

it began while still living with friends in vancouver, wa during the weeks leading up to my move - even convinced one of them to join me in the endeavor. inspired by another friend, and taking a somewhat radical tack, we agreed to first undergo a five day brown rice cleansing diet. this meant for five days we would eat only brown rice (as much as we wanted) and sea salt and drink water. after the cleanse i added fruits, vegetables, and grains back into my diet one at a time on a daily basis.

upon arriving in boston to see my friend jess (trail name "freefall"), who i met while hiking the appalachian trail, i found something had already changed. i had made a sufficient break from my old eating patterns to allow a completely new approach to my process of deciding what i eat and where it comes from. this was made somewhat easier by three things: i was in a new environment with new grocery store options, i had a lot of free time available to devote to food prep, and i was spending a lot of time with vegan/vegetarian people with compatible dietary goals.

so what has this meant? well, i feel a new level of comfort with my food and nutrition. it seems more in keeping with my deep-set desire for simplicity and an awareness of my impact, and by buying whole food ingredients and seeking more local sources of food (sometimes this means i decide to go without something. but then again, sometimes it doesn't - after all it's still a work in progress) i have newfound confidence in what i'm putting into my body. plus i can pronounce all of the foods' names (finally made the connection between the sound "keen-wah" and the spelling "quinoa")!

i'm perfecting my own take on bread, focusing on keeping it as simple as possible. having started with whole wheat flour, sea salt, yeast and water, i've begun experimenting with oil, oats, honey, and even raw sugar (just a little) with mixed results. but i'm really enjoying it. yesterday i made a mostly-local soup i dubbed "root stew" in an attempt to use seasonal produce. first i made a vegetable stock by just boiling the living heck out of all the leftover bits of vegetables which accumulate as i eat 'em. knowing i was going to make a stew i added some minced garlic and shredded ginger root to the mix - there were already some pieces of onion in my scraps. in a seperate pot i started boiling red potatoes, yellow turnips (rutabagas), yellow beets, carrots, celery, and more ginger, garlic and an onion. once the stock was ready i combined the pots, threw in a diced tomato (from a greenhouse in maine), some split red lentils, salt, black pepper, and a dash of red pepper flakes. i'm aware this may sound mundane. not a big deal. and really, i have to agree with you. except it somehow satisfies me to create a hearty, nourishing meal from scratch. even better was being able to share it with my roommates and hear them express their enjoyment and appreciation.

as if this wasn't enough, i got to clean my bowl (twice) with a thick slice of warm, whole wheat bread. delicious.