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    Thanks for reading Vegetarian Frugal Housewife!

“Everybody keeps telling me how surprised they are with what I’ve done. But I’m telling you honestly that it doesn’t surprise me. I knew I could do it.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th-century author and philosopher

Zoodles

So, I am embarking on a new approach to food, aimed at lowering inflammation in my body, raising my vibration and curing a set of nagging health issues, which includes a HUGE collection of food allergies that I once did not have. The goal is to return a greater state of health and resilience that was my norm, up until the age of 25 when everything began going haywire. I have just begun working with a naturopathic doctor who is brilliant and with whom I see eye-to-eye. Since not everyone has access to or can afford to undertake the same, I thought I would share some of my experiences and new recipes with all of you.

How did I get into this state? To this place of ill health, emotional roller coasters and an unhealthy relationship with food? Well, this is a question I have asked myself over the past 12 or so years, with increasing intensity, but with no single, easy answer. I only know that, at my lowest, I could down an entire large pizza in one sitting or, more preferably, a family-sized portion of Chicken Alfredo from TGI Fridays. I was no stranger to an Olive Garden either. While none of these foods, and neither of these places, is bad in-and-of itself, if they are ALL that you are eating over long periods of time, that kind of eating has consequences. I will not delve too deeply here into the chemical cycle of sugar intake, opiate receptors in the brain, mood swings and the pattern of food addiction/nutrient deficiency that results from these types of Western diets, but trust me when I say that 80% of sugar addicted and insulin resistant humans don’t know that they are suffering from these things. Chew on that for a while. Studies have shown that for every person who knows they are suffering from blood sugar imbalance, food addictive behaviours and nutrient malabsorption, there are a least 6 more who suffer unknowingly. Ugh. I know, right?!?

Well then, if you are one of the lucky ones who becomes aware, what is a person to do about it? The answer can be as messy as the problem itself. For me, I’ve tried going vegetarian, which worked immensely for weight loss and my migraines, but many of my health conditions remained. I’ve also done lovely juice fasts, which always help as a quick blast of highly-available nutrients, they boost my energy and relieve some of my toxic load, but they are not an approach that is meant to be lived on long-term. What did help me most was going gluten and dairy free. Such amazing results from that, in terms of relieving nagging health issues. But, the food addictive behaviours always circumvent that approach. and lead to me giving up.

What has been missing is a more focused and tailored approach. I felt like I was always stabbing in the dark, trying to attack a moving target. That is where the guidance of a naturopath comes in. Having someone who can help me unpack the progression of my symptoms, and therefore pinpoint the likely environmental and dietary causes, is invaluable! Knowing what triggered a progression, and what exacerbated it over time, is most helpful in knowing how to specifically pinpoint the approach to healing it. As he said, “Over time, you can absolutely heal from all of this yourself, using diet and supplements, without my help. But, that can take up to ten years if you are without proper guidance. What if I told you that, together, we can achieve the same results in 10 months?”

Folks, we have the power to heal ourselves. Are bodies are built for self-healing when properly fuelled. What I have lacked is the full knowledge of how to turn on that healing power after years of NOT properly fuelling my body. This is the journey that I am now on.

I am only on the first step of my treatment plan with my naturopath (Dr. Ben) and, already, I look and feel better than I have in years! That is the truth and it is what keeps me going. First step: reduce inflammation using diet and supplements. This means a temporary diet that includes no inflammatory foods such as sugar, dairy, gluten, red meat, shellfish, hot peppers, peanuts, fungi and simple starches, like white rice and potatoes. It ain’t easy but it is AMAZING!

Now, back to the recipe…

My weakness is things that combine starch and dairy. Hello, pizza!!! Hello, pasta!!! These are things that trip me up every time, and the lack of them in my day-to-day life can make life feel not worth living, to be completely honest. (My naturopath claims that this feeling of deep desire towards cheesy, starchy goodness will be gone one day but, from where I stand, I think he must be insane!)

Anyway, how to be successful on my anti-inflammatory diet without succumbing to vicious Olive Garden cravings? Enter the champions of the internet raw food movement!!! Videos galore on raw, vegan options for cheesy pasta…I have discovered so many variations on pasta, lasagna, cheese sauce, etc. that I feel spoilt for choice. As always, I tweaked and tweaked until I found a recipe that is best for my tastes and…the results were fabulous! Even my 5-year-old ate some without complaint. (Hint, tell them these are “special” crunchy noodles.)

For this recipe you will need a spiralizer. I use this type, but there is also a more compact type.

Without further adieu, I present to you, Cashew Alfredo and Raw Zoodles!

    Cashew Alfredo and Raw Zoodles
    Makes: 4 servings
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Resting Time: 2-4 hours

    Ingredients:

    5-6 small or medium zucchinis
    juice of 1 lemon
    1.5 cups raw cashews
    .5 cups pinenuts
    .5 medium onion
    2 fresh basil leaves (1 tsp dried)
    2 sprig of fresh thyme (or .5 tsp dried)
    2 sprigs fresh oregano (or .5 tsp dried)
    2-3 cloves of garlic
    3 Tbs nutritional yeast (this ingredient is crucial)
    salt & pepper to taste
    warm water for blending
    sun-dried tomatoes (for garnish)

    Tools:

    peeler
    spiralizer (crucial)
    blender or food processor

    Note: Prepare zucchini noodles about 2-3 hours before serving time for best results. (I rarely do this but it does make for slightly softer noodles.)

    Directions:

    1. Place cashews in a bowl, cover with water and soak for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

    2. Prepare zucchini noodles (zoodles) by peeling and spiralizing all of your zucchinis into a nice serving bowl.

    3. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the zoodles. Toss and set aside for anywhere between 15 minutes and 3 hours.

    4. Prepare the sauce by blending together all remaining ingredients (except garnish). You may need to add small amounts of water throughout the blending process to smooth the mixture and reach desired consistency.

    5. Once you have your creamy Alfredo sauce, give it a little taste to see if it needs anything extra. I usually end up throwing in a bit more garlic, basil and salt at the end.

    6. Toss sauce and noodles together and add some pizzaz (also known as garnish). My preferred pizzaz is some chopped up sun-dried tomatoes.

    Bon Appetit! Be prepared, this recipe will surprise you with how darned tasty it is!