Eating in the Raw: Part II

The philosophy and health benefits of eating raw foods (Part II)

Read Part I here

As a personal chef, I don’t question my clients’ choices of a particular diet unless it helps me understand how to prepare recipes in the most flavorful way. I’ll admit that when one of my clients mentioned the Raw Food Diet, I was skeptical because of the meld of flavors that cooking emits, but intrigued because of the health benefits and the change in lifestyle that goes beyond a different set of ingredients. It involves setting up your kitchen in a completely different way, from learning to use a dehydrator to practically never using your stove (which adds savings to your energy use). A blender, juicer, food processor, and a chef’s knife are also part of the main kitchen fixtures. Menu planning can require a few days to a week in advance if sprouting or marinating is required.

Before trying a new recipe I always think it’s best to do some testing at home and use my own family as the guinea pigs. Given that I didn’t want to drastically change my own family’s diet, I decided to try 4 recipes that sounded enticing from The Complete Book of Raw Food (Hatherleigh Press, 2005) by Lori Baird. But some other questions lingered: How can this be incorporated in a household for people that cook and freeze their dinners for 2 to 3 weeks? What would menu planning be like? How many days are needed for preparation? Where can I get the ingredients that cannot be found in my local grocery store?

As I mentioned on my previous article, a person should take baby steps when altering their regular diet. The body’s digestion process needs to become accustomed to the different ingredients and your palate and preferences need some adjustment as well. So I skimmed through the recipes and stopped at ones that caught my eye. I selected Cauliflower Couscous to mimic a “rice” dish; Haiku Burritos, Vegetable Paella, and Amazing Coconut Fudge to finish off the meals. I only selected recipes that required a chef’s knife and a food processor with no sprouting or dehydrating involved for simplicity.

I was really happy with recipes I selected, and my guinea pigs devoured every single bite. Even if the raw diet is not for everyone, the recipes are a great substitute for a typical green salad because of the unique ingredients and fresh flavors. It may not be ideal for busy individuals and families that plan their meals for convenience, but it’s a creative and flavorful alternative for fresh meals during the week.

Cauliflower Couscous

Makes 4 servings

This side dish is surprisingly flavorful. I had my reservations on raw cauliflower because roasting often brings a wonderful sweetness to this vegetable. As you can probably guess, the texture didn’t compare with the glutinous jasmine rice I’m accustomed to, but it was refreshing with each bite of the mint and cilantro. Preparation is very simple, and it should be consumed within the week to avoid a mushy texture.

2 heads cauliflower
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced
One 13-ounce jar Greek olives, pitted

Cut the florets from the cauliflower head and give them a whirl in your food processor until it resembles small rice grains. Place the cauliflower in a large bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Eat the mixture fresh or cover and let it stand to marinate for a couple hours at room temperature before serving.

Amazing Coconut Fudge

Makes 30 balls

Your food processor will get a good workout during the preparation. Mine actually over-heated and shut down, luckily just as the coconut turned into a butter-like consistency. The coconut comes in a plastic bag dry and shredded, but because of its natural oils mixed with the heat from continuous processing, it becomes a paste after 15 minutes or so. You can’t walk away and let it run since you’ll need to keep scraping the sides of the bowl every so often. The final part of the recipe creates slabs of the “coconut butter” in a pan, but I chose to roll them into balls like a truffle. They are deliciously sweet and soft when they are brought to room temperature with granular pieces of coconut that remain in your mouth as the “fudge” melts away.

One 8-ounce bag of organic shredded coconut
½ cup honey (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup cocoa powder

Place the coconut in the food processor and process until it forms into a paste (approx 15 minutes). You will need to continuously scrape the coconut from the side of the bowl when necessary. When you see the mixture forming a ball and become fairly moist, add the vanilla extract while it is processing. Then add the honey and process until it is thoroughly incorporated. Place the mixture in a bowl and add the cocoa powder, mixing well with a spatula until incorporated evenly throughout.

Form and roll the mixture into balls or other shapes of your choice. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you allow the “fudge” to stand for an hour at room temperature before eating it will be soft.

Haiku Burritos

Makes 2 servings

I was puzzled with some of the ingredients and had to consult my local health food store (see Glossary below the recipe for definitions). Every bite is deliciously fresh with a mixture of crunchiness from the vegetables and smoothness from the avocado mixture. I would make this recipe again!

1 cup mashed avocado
1 teaspoon jalapeno, minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground mustard
2 tablespoons nama shoyu
1 pickle, strip slices
1/3 cup wakame grated
½ cup grated burdock
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup corn kernels from the cob
2 large romaine lettuce leaves

In a mixing bowl, combine the avocado, jalapeno, garlic, ginger, and lemon juice. In another bowl combine the mustard, nama shoyu, pickle, seaweed, burdock, onion, red bell pepper, and corn. In a lettuce leaf cup spread half the avocado mixture then add half the mustard mixture on top. Wrap like a burrito and devour.

Glossary:
Wakame: dried sea vegetable or seaweed that becomes glutinous when soaked in water.

Agave nectar: distilled juice of the agave cactus used for sweetener

Grated Burdock: this can be found in most Asian stores or health food stores already grated though you can make it finer by using a micro plane. Just remember to remove the skin with a peeler. It comes from the root of an edible plant that has a sweetness flavor to it.

Nama Shoyu: a brand of raw soy sauce that contains wheat

Vegetable Paella

Makes 4 servings

I skipped sprouting the quinoa and purchase a bag that cooked in 5 minutes. I also substituted the asparagus for snap peas since they were not available. At first glance, it looks like the typical, light vegetable salad. Though when reading the recipe, I found that it was a 2-step process of first marinating the vegetables for 1 to 3 days, then pouring the mixture on top of the quinoa and letting it stand for another 1 to 2 days. If I sprouted the quinoa this required an overnight process beforehand. Now that’s planning ahead for a meal! The result is a fabulous light but filling meal. The quinoa makes it filling, and it has a burst of sweetness from the vegetables and sourness from the marinade with every bite. This is another recipe that I would make again.

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
1 cup chopped asparagus or snap peas
2 white onions, sliced into fine rings
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 lemons, juiced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cooked quinoa
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
½ cup black olives, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon paprika
Fresh herbs of your choice

Place the peppers, asparagus, onions, and garlic in a bowl. In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice with the olive oil and pour it over the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate for 1 to 3 days until soft and juicy.

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, saffron, and paprika. In a separate bowl place the quinoa, then pour the tomato/saffron mixture on top. Add the marinated vegetables and stir well. Remember to add the  juices that leeched out from the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for an additional 12 to 24 hours before serving. Top with fresh herbs of your choice.