I’m doing October Unprocessed again this year. Since I know what to expect, this year will be more about sharing what, exactly I ate, rather than recording my experiences and impressions.
I used The New Moosewood Cookbook a lot this week, as most of the things in it either are or can be modified to be unprocessed, and because the recipes tend to make large portions. Leftovers are key when you’re eating almost entirely at home.
Most common ingredients in week 1: avocados (no difference from daily life), garlic (we went through an entire bulb in one week), peppers (bell and jalapeno), onions, beans, olives, and Greek yogurt. This year, I’m interested in seeing the consistent ingredients week-to-week.
There was also a delicious pesto-artichoke-olive pizza that I made for dinner on Sunday night. Unfortunately, I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a picture.
Stay tuned for more unprocessed photographic deliciousness next week!
Poetry and Practice 
We do mostly unprocessed all the time, but with how busy October is between kiddo’s birthday and Halloween, I could certainly never go this month on that level of pure. Plus I use cake flour for some cakes, which they probably consider processed based on reading the most recent entry on their blog.
So while I applaud the notion, it’s certainly not feasible for our family. We need that two or three times a month frozen fish stick thing (at least we get the minimally processed, good-ingredients ones) or I’d lose my head. Sometimes I worry that ultra-pure initiatives may risk turning off those who can’t make it work. Not everyone can afford their own grain mill…it’s on our wish list but even if we bought it, I don’t know if we’d have time to do it. We don’t use the bread machine nearly as often as I’d like…
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I’m not big on Halloween, so that definitely helps. This is the only month when I go ultra-pure. Jon and I do enjoy going out to eat from time to time, and there are some nights when cooking a meal from scratch is just too exhausting. But I’m sort of addicted to challenges, so I like going a whole month like this.
Jon is doing this with me, but he’s already “cheated” twice. But I don’t judge him or anything. Last year, there was a big revelation for him (both of us, really), as to the extent to which processing affects our lives. It’s the learning/attempting/striving that matters most to me, rather than 31 days of unprocessed perfection.
Also, this is the time of year when I’m most likely to try brand-new recipes. Some of our favorite meals were ones I tried for the first time last year, and already this year we’ve found two winners that will find a place at our table.
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If you’re addicted to educational food challenges, I did a small-scale one with a few other bloggers last year called the Four Pounds of Cheese Project: http://pastrychefonline.com/2011/07/22/the-four-pounds-of-cheese-project/ I won’t spam you with my own link on it but that’s the main project page. That’s a good one to try. 🙂
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