Fat and Crafty.com

Bacon is huge. Bacon is available now in chocolates, salt, wallets and gummis . Of course those last two aren’t really supposed to taste like bacon, but they are a good representation of just how big bacon is. Bacon’s been good to me, I must admit. The bacon wrapped dates were a hit at Christmas. I put bacon in my deviled eggs, and when we have breakfast for dinner, bacon is always the number 1 choice for meat.

But there is more of interest in the food world then just the porcine goodness of bacon. I’m exploring two trends related but divergent.

First off I’m  fascinated by Vegan recipes. While some of them are simply just add “meat” “cheese” “dairy” substitute and you are done, others are really creative Take Vegan Yum Yum for example. She has unique recipes interesting, and tasty sounding.   Leah M’s favorite lentil soup comes from the Posk Punk Kitchen and it’s vegan too.    It’s the thoughtfulness and the creativity that goes into  these recipes that interest me most. Sure you can be a chips and tofu dip vegan and not eat anything healthier then fries, but there are also many vegetarians out there doing creative things with vegetables, and enjoying them for what they are and what they arent.

Molly Katzen said it simply in the January 2008 issue ofVegetarian Times.

“People approach me all the time and tell me they haven’t eaten meat for 18 years. But I’m not interested in what you aren’t eating,” Katzen says. “Tell me what you are eating. Tell me you’re into cooking kale chips, and we have something to talk about.”

I love that approach.

Taking on step  further is the trend of Raw foods. Raw foods are foods that are not heated about 116 degrees, thus they have active enzymes.

Is it better  for us to eat food closer to its initial metabolic state? I don’t know.

Is it healthier? Is it all hype? I don’t know.

What I do know is that not being able to cook foods beyond 116 degrees makes people more creative. Things like lasagna  , crackers, taco Salad, burgers and pie. Dehydrators, blenders and juicers become a staple.   It fascinates me how they emulate so much with so little.

The recipes seem complicated. They all seem to take a ton of time, but in the end its the creativity that draws me in.  I dont know if I’ll even know if I’ll get around to trying it in my kitchen.  But just think, all those vegetables!  I think going to Chaco Canyon and browsing cookbooks are a good way to start. I’ll keep you updated  as I explore these food trends.