Rawviolis, Heirloom Tomato and Corn Salad, and Sunflower Seed Cheese

We stayed in for dinner last night and I treated my hosts to a raw meal. Rawviolis are a standby entree when cooking for non-raw foodies. It's filling, and the warmth from coming out of the 200-degree oven is satisfying for those accustomed to cooked food. I thought this would be a good choice since the key players of basil and sun-dried tomatoes were on hand. 

Modified Rawviolis

We didn't have parsnips, so I replaced them with their cousin the carrot. Carrots are not as tender as parsnips and the rawviolis were a bit crunchier than usual as a result. The dish tasted great, all the same.

Heirloom Tomato and Corn Salad

Heirloom tomato season carries on in all its flavorful glory and I had to use these juicy and colorful treasures once again. Inspired by the heirloom tomato salad I had at Sauce, I cut sweet corn right off the cob and tossed it with tomatoes, olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sea salt, and cracked pepper. 

Sunflower Seed Cheese

Not wanting anyone to go hungry, I made a raw cheese as well. I improvised with soaked (for 1 hour) sunflower seeds, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and salt. After giving it the taste test I sprinkled dried oregano and thyme, plus a dash of cumin. The resulting cheese added wonderful flavor and texture to the heirloom tomato salad.

This was a great, spontaneous meal of local raw food. What in-season food have you been enjoying lately?

San Francisco Adventures in Raw Food

My California trip continues with plenty of raw food sustenance. I've been juicing and eating lots of organic fruit for breakfast.  Most meals have been at restaurants, however. Salad always saves the day. I can find them on most menus and ask for a raw version if cooked ingredients are included. But, one can only eat so many salads and luckily a variety of other raw options have graced my table setting. Here are some highlights.

Ahi Tuna Chopped Salad

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Sauce restaurant served up this heirloom tomato salad with delicious, sweet corn cut right off the cob instead of grilled. My main entree was their ahi tuna chopped salad served with a zesty chili sauce. It was quite good and I polished it off contentedly. Had I still been hungry, I would have asked for one more order of this. 

Seaweed Salad

My next raw food experience was at Takara Japanese restaurant. With a sushi bar, I knew I'd have no problem getting some nice sashimi pieces. Tuna and salmon did the trick. This is their seaweed salad, which was the largest I'd ever seen! I loved all the iceberg lettuce underneath the pickled seaweed and salty kombu seaweed noodles. This meal was so satisfying and delicious I was seriously considering whether I'd have room for dinner.

Oysters on the Half-Shell

I enjoyed an assortment of fresh oysters spanning the savory and sweet spectrum at Absinthe, a classy neighborhood joint on Hayes Street. The oysters on this trip have been a real treat. 

Tomato Salad with Fennel Shavings

But the best treat was yet to come. Even from a raw-food perspective, Home restaurant turned out to be just what the name connotes. The meal I got was like three gourmet raw food recipes I would make for myself at home. My first clue that this was going to be a great episode in my San Francisco raw food adventure was the server's enthusiasm upon hearing I eat only raw food. The chef took on the challenge with creative passion and prepared an entree totally unique from the menu offerings. His raw twist on Caprese Salad was a beautiful presentation of tomatoes with fennel shavings that looked just like grated parmesan. It tasted as good as it appeared. 

Cucumber Pear Salad

Cucumber noodles that looked like they had been sliced on the mandolin by a raw-food pro were tossed with pears and chives, accompanied by an unimposing dressing that brought out the delicate flavors.                      

And, last but not least, a creamy peach soup rounded out this bona-fide raw meal. 

Home definitely takes the prize of raw food creations on this trip. Not only did the food taste great, their openness to my raw food lifestyle was refreshing and encouraging.

  

The next day, back at Absinthe for more oysters, I had an elegant gazpacho and butter lettuce salad. When a menu lists as many raw items as this one, I have to go back and try more! 

San Francisco was a great city for my first experiment with traveling and eating raw. It was a whirlwind of unexpected delights. I'm refining my raw-food palate and getting better at communicating with servers about how I eat. I think I hit some great spots but know there have to be a lot more. Has anyone had good raw food in other restaurants of this eclectic city? 

Look soon for Santa Cruz adventures in raw food!

The Farmer and the Sell

 

I must have found the right area of San Francisco because there was a big Farmers Market just outside of Greens, the organic, vegetarian restaurant where we lunched. We split up and did some serious shopping, getting bags of kale and spinach for juicing, delicate butter lettuce, yellow heirloom tomatoes, juicy blueberries, and these succulent strawberries which I had for breakfast this morning. 


The Farmers Market, with its bounty of organic whole foods from local farms, is my absolute favorite way to stock the kitchen. And, if the extraordinary flavors of these foods aren't enough, it's nice to know my humble dollars are supporting a good cause: small farms committed to an ideology of pesticide-free well-being for humans and the earth in which our food flourishes.


I'm lucky to live in the US where small organic farms grace every state. If you're in the States this website will find a Farmers Market near you: http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/ And, here is a list of wonderful Farmers Markets all over the world! http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Best-Farmers-Markets-in-the-World-in-no-particular-order

Do you think produce straight from the farmer tastes better than from the grocery store? 

Adventures in Green Smoothies and Amazing Avocados at "Greens" Restaurant

Another beautiful morning in wine country made for our last before heading to the city. We were out of juicing ingredients so Bridget and I went off searching for a store-bought version of green juice or smoothies. 

A friendly fellow at Dean and Deluca said the freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices hadn't arrived yet. So, we went to their coffee section where smoothies were listed on the big blackboard menu. Alas, they were pre-made with a dairy mix. Not exactly fresh, or raw. Determined, we went to their produce section and gathered red grapes, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. Then, we went to the deli counter and asked for a bunch of spinach. What this blended into was a beautiful and delicious green smoothie! 


The blenders themselves, seemingly accommodating baristas, made no attempt to hide that they were not happy with our unusual request, however, and told us this would not be a future option. 


The experience as a whole may have have been a little unpleasant if it weren't for the utterly charming and cheerful fellow who greeted us when we came in. I reflect on the notion that I've been pampered in this challenge thus far with very willing proprietors helping me get the fresh, unadulterated food I crave. And, since this is my fortunate case, I can be picky! Bridget and I agreed we would probably go back to Dean and Deluca only if they improved their customer service and started stocking organic versus conventional produce.

Driving toward San Francisco I searched online with happy anticipation for 'organic' and 'sustainable' restaurants. Greens came in at the top as a purveyor of organic, vegetarian food and employees with a zen slant.


The food and service were flawless. I had this appetizer of flavorful fruit (you really can tell when it's organic) followed by a salad that was so good I ended up ordering two. The California avocados were the best I've had all year.                                                                                     

Caprese Salad and Arugula and Mushrooms at Farmstead. Plus, a raw cheese treat at Tres Sabores winery.

The humming juicer (thank you, Bridget and Josh, for traveling with it) was music to the ears in the early morning paradise of wine country. My green juice with a beet thrown in was the perfect whetting of appetite for lunch. And, with all of these raw dinners out, which don't include nuts and other filling ingredients, I'm pretty hungry for lunch the following day! 


We decided on Farmstead, a restaurant whose philosophy is fresh, local ingredients plucked from the farm and prepared skillfully and artfully for the food lover. This place was a literal feast of all senses. We sat outside among beautiful vines and enjoyed a leisurely meal.  

Heirloom tomatoes are gloriously ripe right now and I have been enjoying them to their fullest. My Caprese salad came smothered in a pesto sauce, the basil of which had to have been drinking in water and sun somewhere in the Napa Valley very recently.


The arugula and mushroom salad was equally savory. I don't know with what the chef dressed it, but it tasted delicious. My server was more than pleased to order both salads without the cheese that came on top. Had I wanted to indulge I could have eaten the creamy cheese for the Caprese, since it was raw.

I was glad I hadn't partaken of the cheese, however, because I had room in my stomach to fully enjoy the amazing raw cheese I was presented with at Tres Sabores winery. A rare treat, indeed, since I usually don't eat dairy because of it's negative effects on health. (I'll post more on that when I get home.) The pistachios and cheese paired beautifully with the organic wine and we soaked in the beauty of the vineyard on a sunny day. This friendly bee enjoyed himself as well! 


The rest of the day was spent among friends in the vineyards of Chase. Breathtaking surroundings and engaging conversation wound down the day as the sun set behind the vineyard-covered hills. 

Tasting Different Local Food: A Meal at "Press" Restaurant. Plus, Airport Food Comes Through in the Raw

I had a salad at an airport restaurant this afternoon.  The place was packed and I was a little worried when I saw nothing raw on the menu save for two salads heavily loaded with meat and dairy.  I was pleasantly surprised when the server took time and helped figure out a salad with only raw vegetables.  What came out was an almost all-inclusive garden salad of tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, guacamole, red onion, and olives.  It must have been all the vegetables in the kitchen!   My appetite was completely satiated as I polished off the last bite and ran to catch my plane. 

For dinner, the chef at Press in St. Helena, CA came up with a sophisticated raw entree of fresh vegetables and fruit.  Delicious greens with figs, zucchini, peppers, and apples that tasted like they had been marinated in heaven, finished off a thoroughly enjoyable first two courses: the freshest raw oysters on the half shell I've had in a long time, and an heirloom tomato salad that tasted like they had gone directly from vine to plate.  

Having begun my raw food challenge 20 days ago, it's now good to be getting out and exploring raw food in other areas of the U.S.  I'm tasting nuances in local food that I never had when I was eating cooked food.  I'm that much closer to nature and the way food was meant to be eaten!  


I wish the same for you-- a Saturday full of fresh foods from a garden, farmer's market, produce section, favorite restaurant, or anywhere real food grows.  Bon appetit! 

Cleaning out the Fridge: Liquid Golden Elixir Cole Slaw

Liquid Golden Elixir Cole Slaw

This week has been a particularly cleansing one, personally speaking, and now my refrigerator is getting cleaned out as well. I'm daring to be creative in using up the fruit and vegetables that will go bad in the ten days I'll be gone.

I put two and two together by combining a lone baggie of chopped cabbage and some 2-day-old Liquid Golden Elixir. I should mention that Liquid Golden Elixir is the best salad dressing I have ever tasted. It is amazing with any variety of greens, and keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week.

The two new partners in tastiness marinated together overnight and were a delicious presentation the next day with the addition of raisins and walnuts. Voila! A  delicious cole slaw is born! One that happens to be a healthy, filling (thank you, walnuts) traveling snack, as well.

I am inwardly smiling about having an alternative to typical "on-the-road" food.

In three days I'll be posting snapshots of the best raw food in San Francisco, St. Helena wine country, and San Diego. Stay tuned and stay happy.   

Liquid Golden Elixir

This is a unique yet versatile salad dressing.

Liquid Golden Elixir

2 cups fresh lemon juice

3 whole cloves garlic

3 tablespoons minced ginger

3 tablespoons Nama Shoyu sauce*

3 heaping tablespoons raw honey (or more if desired)

1 1/2 cups cold-pressed olive oil

Place all of the ingredients except oil in the blender. Begin blending at normal speed. As the mixture is blending, slowly add the oil until it's completely blended. This recipe should last over a week in the fridge.

From Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox Diet.

Day 16: A Transition Respite

Today, day 16 of my Raw Food Challenge, feels quite the opposite of recent craving and headache-filled days. I sprung out of bed this morning and the bounce in my step has yet to fade. I was salivating at the thought of a green juice quenching every cell in my body. All is as it should be. 

Much to my raw-palate distaste, however, this pleasant state of vibrancy is most likely transient, seeing as symptoms from transitioning to a raw diet can last anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks.¹ This depends, of course, on where you're coming from. Based on my relatively healthful upbringing and general avoidance of sugary or processed foods I'm guessing I'm somewhere in the middle.²

Wherever I fall on the detox spectrum, symptoms won't subside until my body is finished "cleaning house." This is the fascinating part about raw food. Since the body won't be doing the hard work of digesting cooked food³ it will turn it's resources toward cleaning up cells inside and out, replacing old or harmful cells (such as tumor cells, which we all have in varying numbers⁴) with brand new cells.⁵ 

Herein lies the crux of my motivation -- the body's awesome ability to improve, heal, and maintain itself when offered the foods for which it was built. Whenever I have doubtful thoughts that eating raw for one year is ridiculous, extreme, or impossible, I imagine a life less prone to illness, boundless energy, glowing skin, and mental clarity. Motivating, indeed.

I am doing several things to help along the cleansing process:

• Drinking teas and juices that aid the liver and kidneys in cleaning out dirty cells in the bloodstream
• Dry brushing the skin to help the release of toxins through the pores
• Practicing yoga to increase the flow of blood to the organs (any upside down pose will do)
• Taking lots of deep breaths to cleanse the lungs and deliver more oxygen to the blood (especially when those irritability symptoms arise). 
• Most important, sticking with my raw food diet, since eating any cooked food will stop the process it its tracks!

I get a great sense of satisfaction from doing just any one of these catalytic acts, knowing that I'm helping a great cause: my own well-being. 

Today is a beautiful day and I'm committing my present vibrant state to memory. If another headache or craving pops up I'll think of today and remember I'm laying down the foundation for a lifetime of days like these.

1 http://www.fitonraw.com/2009/11/beware-the-dreaded-diet-detox/

2  Natalia Rose created a survey that assesses where one falls on the detox spectrum. It's   found in her book The Raw Food Detox Diet.

3  http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/enzymes.htm

4  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZQaN_7xlEA

5  http://rawglow.com/detoxification.htm

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This sophisticated dish conjures up hints of cream and truffle. 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Cashew Cheese Sauce:

1 3/4 cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hours

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 medium shallot

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Pinch cayenne

Pinch turmeric

1/2 clove garlic

Black pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until completely smooth.

Assembly:

4-5 yellow squash, peeled with ends cut off

Sea salt

1 recipe Cashew Cheese Sauce

Finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Chili powder (optional)

Paprika (optional)

Process squash through spiral slicer to create long noodles; roughly chop the noodles, toss with a bit of salt, and let sit for 30-45 minutes.

Mix noodles and Cashew Cheese Sauce in a bowl and then spread into casserole pan. Optional: Top with finely chopped walnuts and extra chili powder or paprika.

Place in bottom of dehydrator at 115 degrees for 1-2 hours to warm before serving.

Serves 4

From Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney.

Day 10 of Raw Food Challenge

Today is day 10 of my Raw Food Challenge. It occurred to me that this is the longest I've ever gone without cooked food. Things definitely feel different. My diet used to be like a pendulum, perpetually swinging between raw and cooked meals. I have noticed the absence of the swing to the latter in these last few days. I'm not hungry. If anything, I'm the opposite due the hefty portions one can allow eating raw food. What I feel are cravings. The desire to inhale a good margherita pasta. Thoughts of crispy potatoes with ketchup in morning. How can this be, when I haven't thought of anything but green juice in the morning for the past year? 


I, personally, conjecture that the present overtaking of my healthy cravings for wholesome food is some sort of "next level" symptom of transitioning to an all raw diet. (After all, it couldn't have been this easy:) My body was accustomed to much raw food but also expected those roasted, fried, grilled, or boiled meals every couple of days. Now that it hasn't had them there is rebellion. 


I have a list of things I need to do about this. But, first things first: Raw Macaroni and Cheese for dinner tonight! Thank goodness for all those gourmet raw chefs* out there who are going to make this challenge easier for me. Once satiated I'll check out some articles on transitional cravings and report back. I'll also be reporting soon on my visit with the doctor about meeting nutritional needs.


More recipes and pictures to follow. In the meantime, I wish you all the joy of finding the raw version of your favorite dish.




Question: What do you do to push through cravings for unhealthy foods?




*Raw cookbooks from gourmet chefs: