The Raw and Winding Road

Fresh off a delicious and vibrant raw Sunday brunch that filled me up as much as beer-can-chickens of the past, I jumped out of bed the next day, energized as ever, and traveled to Boulder, CO.  I hit restaurants full of fresh, organic ingredients that were prepared in contemporary, diverse, delectable fashions.  As always, there were plenty of taste bud-pleasing salads and the occasional raw appetizer to sustain my raw habit.  But, for some reason, I wanted more.  

A scrumptious raw enchilada at 
 Body Cafe in Santa Fe

It's not the first time this has happened. During recent travels I'd found that meal after meal of ordering raw at restaurants resulted in eating mostly salads. This, along with staying in hotels where I couldn't make green smoothies and raw dinners, was becoming a major threat to staying on the raw wagon. 


It was the final evening of a week in Chicago when I, out of sheer exasperation  at the thought of another un-organic salad that wouldn't have many vegetables, ordered vegetarian lasagna. I relished the half-entree I split with someone else. Not only was I full, but about half an hour after finishing I felt overly stuffed and sluggish. I even skipped going out afterward because I felt so full and tired.  Still, the lasagna was tasty. 


Later that night I wrestled with how I felt about "cheating" on my raw food diet and ultimately concluded that on the road there just aren't enough raw food restaurants around to satisfy the nutritional need for more than salad after salad.  Surprisingly, I woke up the next morning feeling alive, vibrant, and, in general, great.  My digestive system was in such good shape from the raw food diet! 


Since, I've experimented with different ratios of raw to cooked food and found that somewhere between 90 and 95 percent raw maintains all of the benefits I feel from eating raw food, namely, increased energy, mental clarity, improved immune function, and my personal icing on the cake, no dark circles under the eyes.  


It's been an eventful journey since the beginning of my Raw Food Challenge 104 days ago. From great enthusiasm, to feeling I've failed, to having a revelation about raw food (even raw foodists eat cooked food sometimes*), I'm committed as ever to this way of eating. I love creating delicious meals in my raw kitchen, and now, when I'm out, I sometimes order steamed veggies or a baked sweet potato to go with my raw salad, assured in the knowledge that I'm not derailing my aspiration to have vibrant health from eating raw organic foods. 

During my time in Boulder I enjoyed Kennebec Spiced Chips at Oak at Fourteenth, Sauteed Mushrooms and Ajo (roasted garlic) at Med, Munson Pumpkin Fritters with Walnut Aillade at Cafe Aion, and Tomato Soup with Olive Oil at The Kitchen. They tasted like scrumptious rare treats and rounded out all those staple salads. 


I even made it out after dinner every night. 


*http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2010/08/09/what-cooked-foods-do-we-eat/,                                                    http://greensmoothiesblog.com/victoria-boutenko-on-not-being-raw/

Raw Thanksgiving!

In August, when my friend Ann found out I was eating all raw for a year, she said "What will you do for Thanksgiving?!"  I didn't quite know the answer at the time. Three months later, as I google "raw thanksgiving recipes," I'm delighted to discover a multitude of dishes that sound amazingly delicious. I have a feeling that instead of feeling deprived, I'll be loving every bite, and not going into a coma afterward! 


Below are the recipes I'm making.  


Living Waldorf Salad
2 apples, cored
2 oranges, peeled
2 pears, cored
1 bunch broccoli
1 cup dates


Chop and combine in a bowl.


For the dressing:
1 cup cashews
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup local honey
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt and pinch of kelp


Combine in food processor. Stir into fruit and broccoli.


From Local Wild Life by Katrina Blair.


Thanksgiving Stuffing
1 cup wheatberries, soaked overnight, drain
1 cup lentils, soaked overnight, drain
1 onion
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins, soaked
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
3 tablespoons sage
pinch of kelp


Combine in food processor. Put in casserole dish. Dehydrate 4 hours.


From Local Wild Life by Katrina Blair

Mushroom Gravy

1/4  cup warm water

1/4 cup Brazil nuts or almonds, ideally soaked for 6 hours, rinsed, and drained

1 shallot or 1 clove garlic

2 teaspoons dried mushrooms, ground to a powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Make just before serving so that it's warm.

From http://www.therawdiet.com/thanksgiving.html.

Parsnip-Pine Nut Whip (or Better than Mashed Potatoes)
2 cups parsnip, washed and cubed
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced - or more to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil


Blend all ingredients until creamy. Serve with a drizzle of flax oil or a simple gravy, such as: 0.5 cup chickpea miso and 0.5 cups water whisked with some seasoning, such as a drop of cumin or pepper, or chopped mushrooms.


Created by chef Bruce Horowitz.


Turkeyless Turkey
1/2 pound almonds, soaked overnight if possible
1/2 pound walnuts, soaked overnight if possible
1 pound carrots, finely grated
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, ground
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Sea salt to taste


Combine all ingredients and put through a champion juicer with the blank plate in or mix in a food processor. If the mixture is not firm enough, add one or a couple of the following thickeners: dill weed, dried garlic, dried onion, dried parsley flakes, nutritional yeast, psyllium husk powder, ground flaxseeds.


Form into drumsticks, sprinkle with paprika or ground black pepper before serving.


From Eating Without Heating by Valya and Sergie Boutenko.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 apple, cored

1 whole orange, peel and all

2 tablespoons local honey

Combine all in food processor.

From Local Wild Life by Katrina Blair

Pumpkin Pie with Thyme

For the Crust:

2 1/4 cups pecans, soaked overnight and dehydrated at 118 degrees for 24 hours

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon date paste

1 pinch sea salt

Place prepared pecans in food processor; pulse into small crumbs. Mix pecans and all remaining ingredients together well by hand. Press in plastic-lined 9-inch tart pan by desired thickness. Dehydrate 48 hours. Chill crust in freezer for 15-30 minutes before filling. If not using all the crust mixture, store extra in containers in the freezer. 

Filling:

1/2 cup cashews, soaked 4-6 hours

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup agave (I add maple syrup, instead, in the called-for amount. Click here to read why.)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons carrot juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 vanilla bean, scraped

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Blend all ingredients except thyme in Vita-Mix until very smooth. Stir in thyme. Fill candied tart crust and chill in freezer overnight. Remove pie from tart pan, cut into 12 slices, and wrap in plastic wrap. 

Yield 1 pie

From Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Raw Food in Chicago

Chicago is a city that easily evokes images of not-so-healthy food.  After all, I used to think there was nothing better than a hot dog at Wrigley Field or late-night deep dish pizza.  However, there has been a quiet yet steady increase in organic, sustainable food purveyors, making healthy food just as easy to get as the ubiquitous greasy, fried foods.  Farmers markets are found in every neighborhood and many of them take their goods inside for the colder months, to be had all year.  Better yet, more and more restaurants are using this organic, local food to create amazing menus with reservation wait-lists to prove it.  Restaurants like Sprout, Green Zebra, Nana, Drew's Eatery, and Bristol, are evidence that the word has gotten out, and it's spreading like nut cheese on raw crackers! 

Cousin's Cafe is at the heart of this movement.   They are an all-organic, all-raw food restaurant and I was in heaven when I went there.  After green juices were served, a plate of appetizers came out.  I tried the Triple Taco first.  On a romaine tortilla were "refried beans" (sesame tahini), mango salad, guacamole, and Mexican spices.  Next were the Fake'n Bacon Poppers, which were really made with marinated dehydrated eggplant, stuffed with kale salad.  Delicious.  Last was RAWmazing Antipesto, a savory mix of zucchini frites, onion rings, more fake'n bacon, bell peppers, tempura with olive and pumpkin seed cheese.  Rawmazing, indeed. 

In addition to the sampler plate, the table munched on Sushi Maki which consisted of an incredible almond pate, avocado, and greens.  

This could have been a meal in itself, but my curiosity about other dishes on the expansive menu prevailed and I ordered the Caesar Salad which came topped with Dolmas stuffed with pine nuts, currants, lemon zest, and fresh herbs.  

My days of stadium hot dogs are gladly behind me.  And, while Chicago remains famous for their hot dog joints, the innovative chefs interested in organic and sustainable eating are gaining national attention.  I'll never have to time to get to every one of these restaurants.  But, I'll be sure to get to Cousin's no matter what.  They even make a Deep Dish Pizza.  So, there you go. 

Horseradish Dressing on Mustard Greens Salad

Back from a trip to the Santa Fe farmers market, mild White Radishes, Jerusalem Artichokes, and Mustard Greens that tasted like butter were inciting inspiration. 

The combination of spicy and mild ingredients lent a harmonious salad experience.


Mustard Greens Salad
1 bunch mustard greens, chopped
1/4 cup jerusalem artichokes, sliced into small pieces
4-5 mild radishes, sliced (1-2, if you have the spicy, pink-skinned kind)
1/4 cup artichoke hearts 


Horseradish Dressing
1 tablespoon San Juan Mountain Maple Horseradish Mustard (Any Horseradish Mustard, or combination thereof, will bring out` the gist of this dressing.)
2 1/2 tablespoons Flax Oil
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Serves 2

Green Juice and Salsa with Raw Crackers and Celery

I made an impromptu green juice from a combination of mustard and radish greens, 4 stalks of celery, 1 beet, 2 apples, 1 lemon, and an inch of ginger. The beet made this brightly colored quaff especially sweet. A dash of cayenne gave a boost to the blood flow as well as an extra dose of vitamins C and E. 

Sticking with the impromptu theme, I made a salsa with what happened to be in my kitchen at the moment; 


3 medium holland tomatoes 
5-8 cherry tomatoes 
3 spicy chili peppers
1 clove of garlic
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Simple, but deliciously fresh-tasting, it made a satisfying midday snack with raw crackers and celery . 


See my Blueberry Pancakes post for an update on how the recipe progresses after the nuts have soaked. They are looking (and tasting!) very promising.

Soaked Nuts: A Raw Food Staple

Soaked nuts are a large part of raw food cuisine. Allotting time for them to acquire the silky texture they induce in recipes was an adjustment when I went raw and had to rely more on nuts for protein and calcium.   

Flipping through the recipes I plan to make during the next two days, I scanned for any ingredient with "soaked" next to it. 

I covered in water, sealed, and put in the refrigerator the following: 


2 cups pecans for Blueberry Pancakes

2 cups cashews for Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
1 cup almonds and 1 cup sunflower seeds for Save the Tuna Salad
2 cups cashews for Cashew Ricotta Cheese

2 1/4 cups pecans for Pumpkin Pie with Thyme

Stay tuned for the results of all!

Cashew Ricotta Cheese

Cashew Ricotta Cheese

2 cups soaked cashews

2 lemons, juiced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup healthy water (or enough to create a cheesy texture)

Blend all ingredients in the blender very well to get the smoothest cheese. Put cheese into a strainer lined with fine cheesecloth or muslin. Allow the whey (the liquid) of your cheese to slowly drain out for several hours* Use this ricotta cheese as a delicious spread or dip or for a raw lasagna dish. You can also use it as a sauce for tortellini, ravioli, or over zucchini or eggplant noodles. 


*I skip this step if I'm short on time, and the cheese never suffers.

From Local Wild Life by Katrina Blair.

Pumpkin Pie with Thyme

Pumpkin Pie with Thyme


Crust
2 1/4 cups pecans, soaked overnight and dehydrated at 118 degrees for 24 hours
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon date paste
1 pinch sea salt


Place prepared pecans in food processor; pulse into small crumbs. Mix pecans and all remaining ingredients together well by hand. Press in plastic-lined 9-inch tart pan by desired thickness. Dehydrate 48 hours. Chill crust in freezer for 15-30 minutes before filling. If not using all the crust mixture, store extra in containers in the freezer. 


Filling
1/2 cup cashews, soaked 4-6 hours
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup agave (I add maple syrup, instead, to the called-for amount. Click here to read why.)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons carrot juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme


Blend all ingredients except thyme in Vita-Mix until very smooth. Stir in thyme. Fill candied tart crust and chill in freezer overnight. Remove pie from tart pan, cut into 12 slices, and wrap in plastic wrap. 


Yield 1 pie


From Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney.