Fun in the kitchen

I’m so excited; I’m not sure what to talk about first! I’ll start with what I’ve been up to in the kitchen for the past hour.  I find wonderful recipes on Goneraw.com, along with raw blogs and then I tweak them.  I cut out a lot of unnecessary ingredients, substitute exotic ingredients with those I have in my kitchen, and I tend to simplify the process as well. Just as if you had gone online to look up an easy meatloaf recipe, or asked a relative, I go online to find ideas for how something has been made before.  Goneraw is awesome simply because it’s a search-able database, so I plug in the exact dish I’m looking for, or simply the ingredients I have leftover that I need to use, and voila! There are multiple recipes to take a look at.

  I’ve been itching to make this wonderful “Stir Fry” that I found online.  Of course, I made a few subtractions and additions, and quantities may not have been measured. I like to make food to my taste buds…a little more of this, a little less of that, etc.  The stir fry I found was a mock “rice” mixture with other chopped veggies, covered in a spicy sauce.  I LOVED it…and my simplifications qualify it as a LRBG recipe, so into the recipe book it goes! This is definitely a main entrée and I might add it to my Raw Recipe Night: Asian Entrees and Appetizers. 

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My second dish was “Fettuccini Alfredo” that I will be adding to one of my Italian Raw Recipe Nights.  I have planned three so far, but this may classify as a fourth. I cut the sauce down to five ingredients all blended together – literally less than 90 seconds to make, and I used Kelp Noodles.  These bad boys are so close to the cooked version, it’s scary.  Neutral tasting – no fishy taste, clear, and they absorb the sauce they are in.  AND, they are a sea plant and hold nutrients (alginates  that have a soothing and cleansing effect on the digestive tract, iron, iodine, etc) that aren’t found in land plants, thus making a wonderful addition to my lifestyle.   I made it tonight and I’m going to let it marinade overnight and have it for breakfast.  I cannot wait.  I love how easy it was…a 90 second meal for two.

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My third dish for the evening was so simply I am kicking myself for not making it sooner.  I have seen multiple recipes for a raw ‘yogurt’, but most included fermentation – which I neither have the interest in doing, or the patience. This recipe I found, which was part of a larger, more complicated recipe, but contained an easy yogurt like dish.  It was so easy and SO delicious that I’m sharing it with all of you! It’ll be in my recipe book, and I’m sure It will be a part of some Raw Recipe Night I do…but it’s too good to hoard for myself.



Rawgurt
·         2 ripe bananas
·         1 cup cashews
·         Juice of 1 lemon
·         ½ cup water (for blending)

First, puree bananas until smooth.  Add cashews, lemon juice, and water (add more if it gets too thick and won’t move). Chill after blending to let it thicken. Enjoy with fresh berries, drizzled honey, or crushed nuts!

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A couple nights ago I made stuffed mushrooms…anticipating my Raw Recipe Night: Holiday Appetizers coming up in the fall. I experimented with both button mushrooms and shitake mushrooms. Both mushrooms have been found to have more antioxidants than most vibrantly colored vegetables. They also contain many minerals and vitamins such as selenium, copper, niacin, potassium and the powerful antioxidant L-ergothineine, which protects against breast cancer and prostate cancer.   I chopped the stems off and filled them with a wonderful avocado/tomato/garlic/whatever-was-left-in-my-fridge.  While I absolutely adored these little powerhouses of nutrition and scrumptiousness, I’ll have to make them again to nail down a good solid stuffing recipe, as I was just experimenting before.  I also ate them too quickly to take pictures. Yay!  I have to make them again!

My next exciting thing to talk about is the upcoming classes I’m holding.  I scheduled FOUR Raw Recipe Nights for August.  The first two (which will be repeats of one another so if you miss one, you can hit the second) are on Asian Entrees and Appetizers. I’ll be featuring an Orange Broccoli, a Lemon Ginger Lettuce Wrap, and an Oriental Noodle dish (although, this stir fry might bump one of those dishes out).  I always used to like getting Chinese takeout when I ate the Standard American Diet (otherwise known as S.A.D.). These dishes are very reminiscent of their cooked counterparts.  AND…they are easier!  I love how simple uncooking is. 

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The last week of August will feature two more classes, this time on raw ice cream. Yes…ice cream.  Dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, all the stuff that makes us sick or phlegmy, or guilt-ridden…is gone. Just like our pies will set you free from restricting your diet, this Ice Cream is Gods sent…literally.  My daughter and I have a bowl of raw ice cream every morning for breakfast, which is hilarious.  Not only is it good for us with only fruits and spices, but it’s DELICIOUS! August 23rd and 28th will feature Chocolate Almond Ice Cream, Vanilla Blackberry Ice Cream, and a Mango Strawberry Sorbet. Yum!!!  I can’t wait to share these with everyone and how simple they are to make. Again, under five ingredients in all of them.  

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Lastly…I’ve been working on the rest of this website.  Slow going, I know…but I’m chipping away at it.  I also had some new inspirations.  I’ve decided to list a page citing all the fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. and their health benefits. Arm yourselves with knowledge…learn what is so incredible about your food and it will motivate you to continue to eat raw, fresh foods. Have fun poking around my About Raw page…it will be loaded soon.  Okay, time for me to finish my stir fry for the evening while watching an episode of Lost. Have a great night everyone!!!

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