Naraya Cooking Health Recipe

yes. i speak of the DURIAN. read one of my earliest posts about it here. they're a pretty intriguing subject. in this household, my dad, mom (who were introduced to it when they volunteered in Thailand in the 80's) and myself are the only ones who love durian. my brothers and my friends think it's nasty, smelly and weird. i understand, but disagree. it's delicious.


durian is an aphrodisiac and so it pairs well with other aphrodisiacs, especially chocolate (cacao), cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg.  i made a raw chocolate sauce and used those spices in the ice cream. this is such an easy recipe, and if you aren't crazy about the flavour of durian, the taste isn't as strong. if you ARE crazy about durian, you can leave out all the add-ons and just blend frozen durian and cocnut water straight up with a bit of cinnamon. my mom did that the second time and it was super yummy.

so the day before yesterday - i finally broke the juice fast. my mom had bought me a papaya and i had been letting it ripen the last few days of the fast so it could be the first delicious piece of solid food i put in my mouth on saturday.


it was an other-wordly experience. i transcended! i could hardly even control the ecstasy that was food-tasting. if you ever lose your passion for eating, or think everything tastes bland - just drink juice for a week. the rest of the day i had a few pieces of fruit and then an AMAZING smoothie at gorilla food. remember how i was super stoked to eat a salad for the first thing? nah. i don't think i could've handled that much on saturday, plus i was only craving fruit, to be honest.

later in the day my muscles were getting really sore, especially in my legs. i also had a head ache. i suppose it was the final steps of my detox. i slept really well saturday night.

yesterday i ate several fruits most of the day. it was canada day! so my friend came over and we went downtown to celebrate. super fun ;) when we got home we made a raw feast of creamy pasta with mushrooms, basil and tomatoes along with an avocado spinach soup, and durian pudding for dessert! i will post all the delicious recipes in the days to follow :) don't ya worry. here's some pics to tempt you:


i hope you all had a great weekend; i sure did. namaste!

SO CLOSE! i have the rest of today, and tomorrow... then i fill my body with the raw food it's been craving the last few days. i'm so excited to jump back into raw food and the entire lifestyle. it's time for this juice fast to END!


don't get me wrong. i haven't begun to hate juice or fasting or anything. i still love and respect it as much as i did on day 1. but i want to EAT! today i was writing down a bunch of recipes i can't wait to make after saturday. they are all raw versions (besides the toasted rice) and include:

- zucchini pasta with creamy alfredo and cauliflower "parmesan" crumble
- tomato and pine nut lasagna with marinated mushrooms, eggplant and herbs
- veggie pizza with sun dried tomato and garlic sauce, marinated peppers and pineapple
- spinach avocado soup with garlic, onion and tomatoes
- sushi rolls of mango, cucumber and avocado with toasted brown rice and sweet/sour tahini dipping sauce
- yam burgers with sunflower seeds and all the fixins, along with jicama fries and chipotle dip
- durian ice cream and cacao nibs, spiced with cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg
- chocolate discs layered with spiced bananas, dried figs, and organic berries


today i went out and bought frozen durian meat for the pudding, and we got avocados a couple days ago so they will be ripe by saturday. (because first things first: i want salad, and salad ain't complete without avocado.) we also bought some castor, jojoba and avocado oil because from now on i will be using a mix of them for my facial cleanser. check this out. i love this site. we went to the library (best place evaaa!) too and i finally got mad cowboy. i've been meaning to read this book for a long time but i've been distracted by... life? and other excellent novels. i know it will seem a bit dated, but i also know it'll make me really proud to be vegan - and get me re-inspired to convert others!

yes... i used the word "convert". veganism is totally a religion, folks.
seriously though, i do worship my kale.

my mom made a big pitcher of juice this morning before we went grocery shopping so i drank the one recipe all day. it was yummarific and made of:

2 oranges
2 apples
1 grapfruit
2 mini cukes
1 1/2 cups grapes
huge chunk ginger
1/2 pineapple
1 cup cantelope
1/2 large bell pepper
 

my energy levels are alright today, better than in the middle there. yikes. i must admit, i've snuck in a few strawberries. my logic is that i'm juicing them... in my mouth. don't argue with it. this saturday i will back in my own bed (i've been house sitting all week), eating food again, and seeing special people in my life that i haven't seen for weeks! i am very excited, and at the same time i am keeping the importance of these last 2 days of juice fasting in my mind and soul.

talk to you all tomorrow! much love. namaste.

oh and p.s. - i can't take all the credit for those recipe ideas. i always make up my own but here's a few that got me creating: durian pudding, fettucine alfredo, and jicama fries.

Raw fooders definitely have some common favourite foods. Some that come to mind are avocado, banana, some swear by fruit, some by nuts/seeds, etc. One raw food that's always a topic of controversy and discussion is the illustrious durian.

Half of us love it, half of us loathe it. In any case, it's smell is infamous and nobody likes it.
Durians are grown in Thailand and are so smelly that they're illegal indoors. They also have to be frozen when shipped overseas for the same reason.


I have been wondering for many months now what my opinion of the durian would be. I tend to like foods and smells others find a little unusual, so I was optimistic.

Well, I finally found where they keep the durians in the T&T Asian Market and bought one. They were hiding in a giant freezer behind a pillar in the meat section... hmm.
We probably looked a little strange walking through the market, my mom and me; two white women on a mission holding a giant spiky, tropical fruit. But then that's Vancouver culture for you, and I love it.

Okay - so my durian experience. It began to smell a lot more once it thawed, and my dad immediately recognized the scent. My mom and dad lived in Thailand for many years and ate a lot of durian. They both love it, but like most people, my dad can't stand the smell. I personally think it smells like really sweet rotting fruit... not as bad as it sounds!

We sliced it open after I noticed it starting to split - a sign of ripeness - and I got my first look at the guts. They were giant yellowish pods and they had the texture of custard. In each pod there's a seed.


I had my first bite... YUM!

I liked it! Wouldn't use the word love, as I thought I would... but it was very tasty. Like nothing you have EVER tasted. I can only describe it as fruity, almond-y, and toasty and the same time. I advise everyone to try a durian. Whether you like it or not, it's a unique and fun experience. My brothers' reactions were absolutely hysterical - we were literally all on the ground laughing.

Sufficed to say, they did not like the durian.