a sack and a bed and a bit of basil

Last night I was laying in bed with the lights turned off when suddenly my foot grazed something that had the strangest texture.  Grainy, hard, flaky in parts…like a sack of shriveled up brains.  I ran through a mental list of things it could be- make up, clothes, jewelry...but nothing fit the description of the mound I was now tapping with my toes.  Tapping didn’t help identify it any further, and I was too scared to turn the lights on to find something like the Doodle Jump creature staring up at me, so I gave it a swift kick and it went flying against the wall.  I finally turned on the lights and saw that it was a bag of walnuts, and that’s when I realized that I really can’t do this raw food thing for the rest of my life.  I’ve been craving homemade pizza basically thirty hours a day, and a few nights ago I dreamt of a loaf of bread.  I find myself looking forward to my typical after-dinner treat: a hot shower, and someone recently commented on the fact that my coat smells like vegetables (thanks, dehydrator). Health be damned, this just isn’t the lifestyle for me.  Of course I’ll continue this adventure for as long as I initially planned to, but I won’t be buying a year’s supply of hemp seeds after all.  Ah well, there’s always tomato basil soup.  This soup is actually really delicious and is definitely one of the few things I'll keep for after the diet. Also, I just really love basil. It makes everything taste like a trip to Italy.

The soup is really, really easy to make: Place 1.5 cups of Basic Nut Milk (recipe below),6 medium-sized tomatoes, ½ teaspoon of crushed garlic, 1/4 cup of fresh basil, 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or 2 Medjool dates), and 1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt into a blender the process until smooth. While it’s all blending, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if you’re a pompous ass. Ta-da!

Basic Nut Milk: soak 1 cup nuts (your choice, but I prefer almonds) 8 hours, then process in a blender with 4 cups of water until you get a milky consistency.  Then, strain using a nut milk bag- but let's face it, nobody has one -so really, just use a sieve or cheesecloth.