Delicious, Easy, Murder-Free Enchiladas!

I don't generally eat dried things, or mixtures of things ('recipes'), because if your body doesn't want the food by itself, you shouldn't try to trick yourself into enjoying it by mixing it with other things. In my defense, I at least do know that I do enjoy these foods fresh, raw, and alone...so I think it was ok to treat myself this once.

That said, it was Christmas, and my whole family was getting together. For their meal, they were having traditional enchiladas. Obviously, I wasn't gonna touch those - but I was raw vegan for a while, totally into making recipes that resembled 'normal' food...So I got to thinking: dried zucchini tortillas, sauce made with rehydrated chiles, blended, and filled with avocado and tomatoes.

Well, I tried it - and it was delicious! So, I thought, maybe to get someone a little hooked, I'd share the yummy, guilt free recipe for someone to try.

Ingredients (to make 2 enchiladas)

1 zucchini

1/4 c. Chile powder

2 tbsp tomato juice

Enough water to rehydrate chile powder

1/4 - 1/2 avocado - depending on how full you want the enchiladas

1/2 - 1 Roma tomato

For the zucchini tortillas:

Grated the zucchini pretty fine, about the size you'd grate parmesan cheese; then separated the zucchini into 2 equal piles (more or less) on a dehydrator tray; flattened the piles so they were about half an inch thick. Dehydrated 9-10 hrs.

Note: dehydrating the zucchini, gave it green, herby, and pleasantly sweet flavor.. Nothing like raw zucchini. It was interesting, worked well with the dish.

Also, the zucchini tortillas were pretty delicate...be careful with them.

Another thing...these 'tortillas' will obviously not be white or yellow, they'll be green - but again, I promise, they're delicious!

And lastly, if you do not own a dehydrator, I suppose if you wanted you could use your oven, set at it's lowest temperature, and leave the door open a little.

For the sauce:

Put 1/4 c chile power in a small mixing bowl, with tomato juice. Stirred in warm water until the sauce was a good consistency (not super thin, but not too thick...probably about the constancy of yogurt, maybe a bit thinner). You may have to add more water as time goes on, because the chile will rehydrate and absorb water, causing the mixture to become thicker. Finally, throw in a little salt to bring out the flavors.

You may have extra left over, you can save it in your refrigerator for a short while.

For the filling:

Just mash up the avocado, then dice the tomato and mix it in.

Note: save the avocado pit, it makes a gorgeous house plant, or, if you live in a warm place - even better, you can have your own avocado tree! Google how to grow an avocado tree, there are lots of good step-by-step explanations.

Assembly:

Put tortillas on plate, put avocado half avocado mixture on one, half on the other. Fold the tortilla over, put the sauce on top (not too much - you don't want to overpower the other flavors), and enjoy!

Reasons To Smile//2

"All I can think about is you;

My hands at your waist as I slide up from behind;

Breathing you in, gently pulling your hair from around your neck,

And feeling your warm flesh, as it hits my lips.."

<3

Vegetarianism, Veganism, and Raw Veganism

I was vegan for a year, and then raw vegan for a year after that, before making the switch to fruitarianism just over a month ago; Looking back, I feel like a huge hypocrite, because people would ask me about why I was vegan, and things like that, and I would preach about how it's so terrible the way we kill animals and everything, all while munching on a carrot.

I definately understand why a person would decide to be vegetarian or vegan - the killing of animals is definately a lot more noticable, and a lot more heartwrenching; It's so easy for us to grow attatched to pets and cute little animals, so it makes sence that people would make the decision to become vegetarian, or take that extra step and become vegan or raw. And don't get me wrong, I think it's a great thing; It upsets me beyond words, the way we use animals for food; the way we treat them like their soul purpose in life is to serve us, to be used by us for food.

But then, you really think about it - and you realize that we vegans and vegetarians are doing the same thing, looking at vegetables, and the plants of the world, as a substance that is here just for us to exploit; a resource that we don't think twice about pulling ruthlessly from the ground, stripping of their leaves, or cutting down - and we think it's ok, just because it doesn't protest, it doesn't bleed. We don't think about the fact that the lettuce that we're eating, was a peaceful, healthy plant, that ligitimately never hurt anything; That almond we're eating, was a baby plant, that's never going to get a chance at life now; That tree we cut down to show off our holiday spirit? All it did it's whole life was provide a home for animals, berries for birds to eat, oxygen for us to breathe, while its roots held the land in place, so we didnt have to worry about land errosion when it rained.

A plant truly is the one innocent being; it spends its life serving, creating for other species. It is the kind of organism that we should all be striving to be, not a resource that we destroy and exploit at our leisure, simply because it won't fight back, it has no voice to remind us of everything it does for us, it has no blood to remind us that it's still murder.

So that is why I'm posting today; To try and express what the autotrophs can't; To try and fight back for those who won't. ❤

Those Cute Little Things That Make You Smile//1

"Your sweatshirt smells good."

"Like what?"

"Your home. ..I love your home."

"You are my home."

♡

Things I Need To Work On

We all have flaws. You have flaws, I definitely have flaws. That I need to work on, because the've been bothering me. They do bother me. A few in particular.

One of these few...is my tendency to find flaw in others. To look at others and say that's wrong. It's not a very positive thing, it's not a positive point of view, and it really doesn't help anybody, to find flaws in things. The only way it would be even remotely beneficial, was if I spent more time finding and fixing flaws in myself, and less worrying about what others are doing. I've never wanted to be a person who lead or influenced through words. I want to be a person that acts out what she believes in, and so perhaps liberate others to do so as well.

Another thing I definately need to put more effor into changing, is my tendency to eat because something tastes good, or because somebody else wants me to eat, whatever, and not just because I'm hungepry, empty. I had problems with it eating an SAD, I ate whenever I felt like it when I was a vegan, and I sometimes ate even though I wasn't hungry as a raw vegan. It's a really dumb habit, that I know isn't good for me. I shouldnt be doing it. It's one of the 7 deadly sins or something. So, I am going to work a lot harder, in the coming weeks, months, years, and so on - on eating only when my body is telling me I need nutrients. Not cuz I'm bored, not because bananas are delicious, not because Moms worried that I didn't eat enough.

Another thing I want to work on, is frustration. I get so frustrated with people, who I view as stupid or ignorant, who have beliefs...that differ from my own. Whether it be on hunting, killing, politics, the eating of meat, whatever, I need to work on not letting that effect me the way it does, and I need to work on expressing my opinions on the topic more..politely, as well, and back them up with more fact and less opinion.

Self improvement is an important thing - the moment you become content to stay the way you are, imperfect, the moment you stop growing. And if your not growing, learning, changing every day... What's the poiint of existing? So these are just a few of the things that I feel I really need, and more than that, want, to work on improving in myself.

A Bit On Purity..

Well, I'm a virgin. Technically. But, in good friend Brittany's words... "I've had girl sex before."

With a girl who I am completely in love with. When we started engaging in sexual activity, I guess I wasn't. Couldn't have been, I'd say - I was 14, and had been with her for a good... Week or so. But I do know that I trusted her, more than any guy I'd ever been with. And I guess when it comes down to it, that's why I never got close to anyone before her. It definitely turned out..well, perfect. At least from my point of view today, about 9 months later.

I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't started going out with her, if I woulda had sex and regretted it or whatever by now.. I dunno. But I do know I am absolutely, so glad that she was the first person I was ever with the way I am. First, I am so glad that my first (and, in a perfect world, she'll be my only!) was with someone who really, genuinely cares about me, and loves me, and also who I care about so much, and love back. Secondly, I love that..she was the first one with me. I saved myself, no one else had ever been where she was, seen me the way she had, known me the way she did. I can give myself to her in whole...she doesn't have to share it with someone else, some douchebag that I regret, and who I don't even know anymore. I love that.

But this weekend...a couple days ago, she was telling me about some of the guys she'd slept with. I had asked her how she felt after losing her virginity, and the conversation just kinda lead into it. She told me about the first guy she slept with, and then the 2 times after that they'd had sex..and then a few other guys she'd slept with, and it honestly didn't bother me. At least, it bothered me verrry little. But then, she started talking about girls shed been with... Now, I'd always known about her and her ex, the first girl she was ever with, who was pretty much horrible to her. I knew that they'd done things, but it never really bothered me; I don't know why. Maybe just because she loved her. She was really important to her, and a big part of her life; more than just sex. But this weekend, she told me about another girl, this one she just had a one night stand with. She recounted how they'd fooled around in the shower...the bed..the kitchen...and at least 4 other places that I don't even remember, all in 2 days time. I don't know why this bothers me so much, when the other stories don't; I mean, I know that I'm special, and she doesn't have feelings for any of the people she's been with in the past, including this chick...But somehow it really bothers me, the idea that she's had her fingers inside another girl, some random girl; this girl's tongue was probably in places that mine hasn't been. And it was probably better than mine could be, seeing as I have so little experience..and chances are this girl kinda knew what she was doing..

I am glad she tells me about her past though. I'm glad she's not a person that hides things away, tries to shelter me, pretends it never happened.. I guess I just never thought that the virginity of my partner would matter to me too much.....but I guess I never really though about it too much at all..

Yup. I'm 15, and Fruitarian

I get the feeling, reading books and blogs and things, that most raw vegans and fruitarians are older people, who a lot of times spent so many years eating cooked food, and later got very sick from this, and happened hear about and switch over to a vegan, raw, or fruitarian diet, and this is how they were introduced to this way of life.

I really do think its so great that there are more and more people switching over to this diet - thanks to this, I found out about veganism, then raw veganism, then fruitarianism before I could do any real, serious damage to my body with the cooked foods I enjoyed so much.

I started out, when I was about 12 or 13, eating 'healthier' - no more white bread, eating only organic, grass-fed beef, and lots of brown rice and spices and such (daddy was very into eating 'healthy' in the late '80s, early '90s, before I was born, so he tried to help me out and point me in the right direction.) I also read many books that told me that eating this way, whole grains and organic meat, was good for you.

Then, I read a book called 'Skinny Bitch'. It discussed all the reasons that animal products were bad for you, the economy.. And it discussed how the animals were treated. After reading this book, I converted to veganism without a second thought; Daddy was fine with this, but all of my friends at school kept insisting that I was going to die from lack of calcium, I wasn't getting enough protein, etcetera. They tried talking my parents into making me eat meat, and then when that didn't work, they attempted to talk the guidance councillor into somehow forcing me to change back to a SAD.

One of the main antagonizors of this 'trying to help me' was my friend, Megan. Several months later, she began doing some reading, and actually, after a lot of research and experimenting, ended up becoming a raw vegan 6 months later. (She has a blog, too, if you'd like to check it out.) She actually just recently did an interview with the local newspaper about her diet, which I thought was reallly cool, because a lot of people do read the paper, and it would have educated many people in Ripon that such a diet existed, and maybe encourage them to learn more about it. I learned all about the raw vegan diet from her, but actually ended up becoming fruitarian before I ever tried raw veganism; now, this was the summer before 9th grade, I was 14. I switched for all the wrong reasons - thinking, 'woah, I'll never have to worry about getting fat if I eat this way!'

Because I was thinking this way, I actually ended up digressing to eating more vegetables a few months later, and then i started getting into raw recipes and using nuts and such as well. Now, it's a year later, I'm 15. My family has changed and started eating healthy*er* at least, because of me; they only eat grassfed beef and free range organic chicken, and we usually go to whole foods and another really amazing health food store in Madison called Willy St. Co-Op at least once a month. While dad always insists that he could never eat the way I do, he does absolutely support me and try to help me out and encourage me, and I love that he buys me all the raw food that I eat, even though it's so much more expensive than what he and the rest of the family eat.

Anyhow, several weeks ago, I started feeling really just... Depressed, tired, especially after eating nuts and stuff. I'm not sure what caused it, but I started thinking more about the fruitarian diet I experimented with just a little over a year ago. This time I purchased a few books, read a bunch of blogs, thinking..if I failed at it last year, why should I succeed this year?

And then, I came across a post by Mango the Raw Vegan Fruitarian, on his blog, about the return to Eden, and the way it was the only way to achieve true peace, and.. I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I could remember reading, and it made so much sense to me.. I made the decision then, and haven't eaten a vegetable, seed, or nut since, and sincerely don't plan on going back to doing so, ever.

...and that's how I got here, today, starting this blog. Because I think it will be interesting for me, to look back on later in my life and also... I think it would be good to let people know that there really are young people out there taking responsibility for their health and their world, because I feel that the world gives us a bad name all to often. And at the same time, I want to do my part to try and inform my peers about fruitarianism, as I do believe that it is the direction we all must move toward, inevitably...