'Tis the season! For holiday parties, family, food...and for many people, yummy holiday cocktails. Raw foodies don't have to be left out when it comes to drinking fancy, celebratory beverages...we just have to be a little more creative!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Cheers! A Very Yummy Raw Holiday Beverage
'Tis the season! For holiday parties, family, food...and for many people, yummy holiday cocktails. Raw foodies don't have to be left out when it comes to drinking fancy, celebratory beverages...we just have to be a little more creative!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Warm Up with Mexican Chocolate Truffles
Somebody has flipped the switch to all-out winter, across the country it seems. Brrrr...
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Raw Food Dinner January 19...Plus a preview with some tasty goodies Friday, December 3!
In the mood for a healthy treat? I'll be sharing some raw goodies - both sweet and savory - at Fresh Thymes Cafe in
3-Course Raw Food Dinner
Wednesday, January 19
6:30pm
$40 per person
Fresh Thymes
1836
Saturday, November 20, 2010
What's for Thanksgiving? Butternut Squashage Lasagna, of course!
I'm still working on my recipe for Thanksgiving this year (better hurry!), and the other night I put this together...still need to tweak it before I post the recipe, but it was delicious! I'm calling it Butternut Squashage Lasagna...a butternut squash puree, with sage & walnut "sausage" bits, and a cashew shallot cream sauce. The "noodles" were thinly sliced & marinated turnip. The flavors all blended really nicely together, and the squash actually came out more delicious than I expected...YUM!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Raw...and EASY!...Banana-Chocolate Cream Pie
I had a little hankering for a yummy dessert the other day, and I pulled this one together really quickly...its kind of a cheat, because it is more or less simple banana ice cream with a simple crust...but who cares, it was tasty! I try to always have several frozen bananas on hand, as they are great for smoothies, shakes, desserts...you name it. Here is a fancier looking, but easy way to use them! Always peel and break bananas into chunks before you freeze them in an airtight container. Here's how to make the pie...
Friday, October 29, 2010
Chicken-free Soup...Even Better for the Soul! And, how to adapt recipes and get over it!
Whether you are just starting out with raw food, or haven’t eaten anything warmer than 112 degrees (or 115 degrees, or 118 degrees…depending on who you talk to) in a long, long time, it can be intimidating to tackle raw food recipes. Almost nobody grew up with raw techniques, gadgets, or exotic ingredients (I have still not had durian, the darling fruit of many a raw foodie, and might not know it if I fell over it!), so many new recipes can be an adventure, at best. At worst…food for the compost pile.
I’ve been at it for nearly two years, and when I’m at a loss for inventing something on my own, and checking out new raw recipes or considering adapting cooked ones, I still get a little intimidated occasionally, especially by hard-to-find or tricky to deal with ingredients.
I only recently overcame my fear of baby coconuts, and I realize that wouldn’t have been possible except that, for some reason, my regular Shoprite nearby happens to stock them. But I’m so glad I did…they are too costly and time consuming to whip up coconut dishes every day, but once in a while – what a treat!! So don’t let yourself get psyched out of trying new raw preparations, or you could miss out on something delish.
Yesterday, I was flipping through some un-cookbooks, looking at soup recipes. Not something I typically make, so I was looking for a little inspiration, and I decided to try the Chicken-Less Noodle Soup in Matt Amsden’s “RAWvolution.” But ran into a few roadblocks, and still managed to come up a fairly tasty dish in the end, after several adaptations.
First, the recipe called for 3 ½ cups of daikon juice, from 2-3 daikon. My grocery store didn’t have any daikon…so I settled for a combination of juices…from 2 large golden beats, one little bag of radishes (probably about 8-10 small radishes), a small bunch of celery…and then several stalks of bok choy I had hanging around in the fridge. After all this, I only managed to come up with about 3 cups of juice…no worries! I just reduced the amount of water by a little (1 cup instead of 1 ¼, so there wouldn’t be too much dilution in the broth). Then the broth called for lemon juice…I’d just used the two lemons I had in a batch of homemade Gatorade…so, my broth would be missing a citrusy kick. My husband would never know! And if you don’t have a juicer? Who cares! Use your blender, and either strain out the solids, or enjoy a little more fiber!
The recipe called for 1/8 of a cup each of carrots and celery…I like to use my mandoline for slicing veggies, since it gives them a softer, more “cooked” texture, and it is barely worth dragging the thing out (and risking my finger tips!) for so little slicing…so I used at least ½ cup of each, and about a cup of the zucchini noodles, when the recipe called for ¼.
Finally, Amsden recommends adding sliced chanterelle mushrooms to the top of the soup…I’m not a huge mushroom fan, but I decided to give it a try…but the store only had dried chanterelles…and when I got them home, I realized the package said DO NOT EAT DRIED MUSHROOMS RAW. So much for that! (Although I did follow the package instructions to blanch the shrooms in boiling water, and put them in my hubby’s soup…he’s a fungi fan, and also isn’t worried about keeping raw).
And for all my substitutions, the soup resembled cooked chicken soup (sans the contribution from Mr. Purdue), and even had a bit of that familiar taste. And certainly, if you soul is craving a little chicken soup, this chicken-less soup will be even better for it!
In sum, here’s what I did…I recommend “RAWvolution” for the inspiration for this tasty treat and many others!
3 cups worth of juice (or puree) of veggies…I used 2 largish golden beets, about 10 small radishes, a small bunch of celery, and a bit of bok choy, which didn’t really contribute much anyway.
Add to that 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and give it a whirl in the blender.
Pour broth into bowls (this will make about 2-3 servings), and divide the following among them: ½ cup thinly sliced carrots, ½ cup thinly slice celery, 1 cup zucchini noodles, and a handful of chopped parsley (my addition, because I love it, and it also seems very soup-y to me). You can warm the bowls up a little in the dehydrator, if you like, or a very low oven (make sure to check frequently on the temperature - I don't know what happens when you cook beet and radish juice!), or you could leave the broth in the blender til it warms up a little.
Be prepared to serve this with something else…it really isn’t super filling, and truthfully is a lot of work for not a lot of food…and as I like to say…raw appétit!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Go Nuts for Coconut!
My raw macaroons are now available at Fresh Thymes Cafe in Wilmington. The ladies there, Jenn and Jane Adams, are devoted serving to fresh, local, organic food...Visit them for a meal, and pick up some of my tasty macaroons as well!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Reminder...Upcoming Raw Food Classes!
You'll leave class knowing how to set up your raw kitchen, shop for food, and prepare meals that even the kids will love! One recent participant said "...great introduction to what raw food is, and great recipes! I am excited to go home and make the recipes myself...I really enjoyed myself today..." Another called the class "very educational and eye-opening."
EMAIL ME at angelasalvucci@hotmail.com to register.
****Please sign up by October 15. No refunds will be issued after that date****
We'll learn raw food dessert recipes that taste amazing, are actually nutritious, and are safe for a lot of the allergy sufferers out there. Plus, some quick & simple treats to whip up at home when the urge for something sweet strikes. Not a baker? No problem! You don't even have to turn on the oven for these goodies!
Come hungry for fruit pies, brownies, cookies, ice cream...and take home a few treats, too!
SAVE $5 each if you sign up with a friend!
Sunday, November 14
EMAIL ME at angelasalvucci@hotmail.com to register.
****Please sign up by November 8. No refunds will be issued after that date****
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Get Muscles from Brussels...Sprouts, that is!
Hello, my name is Angela, and I enjoy brussels sprouts...
Wedding Salad! Arugula with Cilantro-Lime Dressing and Watermelon
The food at my wedding this summer was amazing. The raw lasagna the kitchen took on the challenge to make as our veggie option was fantastic (and I'm told all the cooked dishes were great, as well).
Overcoming My Fear of Coconuts, with Chocolate Coconut Cashew ice cream
I have been resistant to use coconut meat in recipes, both because the young coconuts you need for the recipes are a pain to hack into, and because they are expensive.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Upcoming Raw Food Classes!!
What better time to make the most of nature's bounty, getting as much nutrition and energy from fresh grown produce as possible with raw and living foods? Check out these upcoming raw food classes...email me at angelasalvucci@hotmail.com to sign up!
You'll leave class knowing how to set up your raw kitchen, shop for food, and prepare meals that even the kids will love! One recent participant said "...great introduction to what raw food is, and great recipes! I am excited to go home and make the recipes myself...I really enjoyed myself today..." Another called the class "very educational and eye-opening."
EMAIL ME at angelasalvucci@hotmail.com to register.
****Please sign up by October 15. No refunds will be issued after that date****
We'll learn raw food dessert recipes that taste amazing, are actually nutritious, and are safe for a lot of the allergy sufferers out there. Plus, some quick & simple treats to whip up at home when the urge for something sweet strikes. Not a baker? No problem! You don't even have to turn on the oven for these goodies!
Come hungry for fruit pies, brownies, cookies, ice cream...and take home a few treats, too!
SAVE $5 each if you sign up with a friend!
Sunday, November 14
EMAIL ME at angelasalvucci@hotmail.com to register.
****Please sign up by November 8. No refunds will be issued after that date****
Monday, September 13, 2010
Tahini Zucchini Chips: I Munched, and Munched, and Munched
There's a weird line in Macbeth where the three witches are talking, and one says she saw a sailor's wife with chestnuts who "munched and munched and munched." The witch had asked the sailor's wife for some of her snack, and the wife told her to scram, she tells her fellow witches.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Summer Supper: Pepper-Tahini Soup
Here's a great soup I made the other night, perfect for when you find yourself in possession of a lot of bell peppers. I preferred it chilled in the fridge for a while after I made it, but my husband liked it better after it was warmish from the blender. It is smooth, but adding chucks of veggies...more peppers, fresh corn, tomatoes, you name it...would also be delicious. I threw in some chunks of avocado. If you don't like tahini, or can't find a raw version, this would still be delicious, and more like a pepper gazpacho, without it. For some non-tahini creaminess, throw a handful of raw cashews into the blender (if you want to do so, try soaking them for a couple of hours first, so they'll come out smooth). I begin with a base of carrot, onion, and shallot, sort of a riff on the mirepoix base used for many soups. It creates a savory broth base for the other ingredients.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thank Goodness for the Big Salad!
It is hard to believe that is is back-to-school time, and still so darn warm on the East Coast!! Hurricane Earl will be taking care of that in just a few days for us, but in the meantime, not only is it too hot to slave over a stove (if you are one of the crazy nuts still cooking your food) but it is too hot to even think about standing around the kitchen, chopping and blending and creating raw food meals!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Hawaii is for Lovers...and for Lovers of Raw Food!
I'm just back from Hawaii, after a fantastic wedding - complete with a raw entree option and raw wedding cake - and am happy to saw that the 50th state made feasting on living food easy.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
What's Up, Doc? Carrot Cumin Crackers
I haven't stopped making delish raw food, I've just been verrrry busy with last minute details for my wedding (yes, I'll be eating raw there, too, with a raw entree and even a raw wedding cake!), and haven't been able to gather my thoughts long enough to blog!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Magic! Raw Seven-Layer Bars (Well, Seven-ish)
A friends mentioned she tried raw seven layer bars the other day (and said they were delish!), and so of course I had to invent a recipe for my own version. My mom used to call them Magic Bars, and I think the magic was that they were easy to make, with just a few ingredients, and the end product is greater than the sum of its parts. The raw ones are even easier – no baking! And I just kept using the same mini food processor for each step, without bothering to wash it out in between. Hey, it’s all going to the same place! This version is exceedingly better for you than the original, which uses graham cracker, butter, condensed milk, coconut (ok, I kept that ingredient), and various chocolate chip flavors and nuts. This one only has four layers, but I think in the original people were counting butter, condensed milk, and additional chip flavors as another layer…
Here’s the YUMMY recipe…
“Graham Cracker” Layer
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of dates, pitted
Pinch of salt, dash of vanilla or some vanilla bean
Blend the above in a food processor until smooth and balled-up…press into a 9 inch pie plate (or other smallish pan).
“Chocolate Chips”
1/3 cup almond butter
½ of the third of a cup of agave nectar (use a few dates and a tablespoon of water if you prefer not to use agave)
¼ cup raw cocoa powder
Blend almond butter, agave nectar, cocoa powder in a food processor. Here is a little more magic…somehow these liquidy things get more solid when combined in a food processor. Blend until a doughy ball forms. Roll little balls…about the size of two chocolate chips together, and dot over top of walnut and date layer.
Nuts Layer (No “ ”, because we’re actually using nuts here)
Crush up 1 cup of pecans (or another nut of your choosing) in a food processor, with a pinch of salt, and fill in where the chocolate balls aren’t…here’s a photo of half with nuts, half without.
Coconut Layer
1 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon agave (it is fine to sub in a couple of dates here, as well)
Combine well in a food processor and press over the mixture already in the pie plate. Freeze or refrigerate until it firms up a little (if you can wait that long), and cut into bars to serve. Store in freezer or fridge. You can bring to room temp before cutting and serving if you would like the coconut soft, or serve from the fridge if you like it firm and crumbly...
This is rather sweet, but totally delicious. Raw appétit!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Raw on the Road...with the Family Medjools
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day Cookout Berry Cobbler!
This fresh raw berry cobbler reminds me of the cakes decorated with blueberries and strawberries that people bring to Memorial Day and Fourth of July parties...I used strawberries and blackberries in mine, but blueberries would be delicious as well!
You could use frozen here, but I think fresh, in season berries are much tastier! For the spring and summer time, I like fresh strawberries as the primary fruit, but use any in season fruit you like…this would be delicious with peaches in the summer, or apples in the fall.
Filling:
2 ½ cups strawberries
¾ cup blackberries
½ cup medjool dates
1) Wash and slice strawberries, and place two cups of strawberries and the blackberries in a large bowl. Squish them gently with a fork, to release some of their juices.
2) In a food processor, combine the additional ½ cup of strawberries with ½ cup of pitted dates. Soft medjool dates are best for this, but if you can’t find nice, soft dates, pit and soak your dates for 10 minutes, then drain them before using in the recipe. Blend berries and dates until smooth
3) Add blended berries to sliced berries, toss well and set aside
Crust:
1 cup almonds
½ cup dates
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon or so of cinnamon, to taste
Pinch of sea salt
1) Combine almonds, pitted dates, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a food processor until it is almost like a cookie dough, but you can still see small crumbs of almond
2) Press mixture into a pie plate
To Serve:
1) Top crust with berries, and refrigerate before serving or serve immediately.
2) Take several small scoops of the mixture and layer them into an individual serving bowl, so it resembles a cooked cobbler
3) Alternately, you can simply place a few tablespoons of the crust mixture directly into the serving bowl, top with some berries, and continue to layer it, rather than pressing into the pie plate first.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
It's Easy Drinking Greens: No Juicer? No Problem!!
I admit it, I haven’t yet totally acquired a taste for green juice. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it.However, it is touted by many as a fabulous elixir for health, so I know I should drink it! So I do, sometimes…although not yet being in possession of a juicer (I’m far more partial to drinking my greens in smoothie form), I’ve had to improvise a little and use the blender and a creative straining process. Purists would tell you that blending the juice and then filtering out the solids is not as good a method for getting the most of your juice as, say, actually making it with a juicer, but I think it is still a pretty darn good way to get a lot out of your greens. So if you don't have a juicer, and would like to try green juice, and don't live next door to a juicer bar, give it a shot! Adding an apple or some lemon the first couple of times will help you get used to it...Depending on how juicy your veggies are, this probably makes about 16 oz.
Here’s my recipe, meant to be tweaked:
1 large cucumber (peeled if it is waxed)
1 heart of celery (7-8 stalks)
Couple handfuls of spinach
Sometimes ginger, an apple, some lemon juice or some parsley
1 ½-2 cups of water
First, roughly chop all your veggies, and put them in the blender with 11/2 cups of water if you are using a cuke, 2 cups if not. It looks like this:
Second, blend. Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to blend up some of it first to fit the rest in. Blend until very smooth. Make sure it doesn’t get warm in the blender.
Third, filter through a nut milk bag, or an 8 inch foot section of CLEAN pantyhose. I fit the pantyhose over the mouth of a jar, secured it with a rubber band so that about 2 inches were hanging down, and poured in some of the green mix, like so:
Repeat this process – occasionally undoing the pantyhose, if that is your method, and gently squeezing out juice (yes, it is a little like milking a cow), or squeezing out the nut milk bag, emptying pulp, and adding more mix, until all the mix has been separated…
Finally, enjoy your juice! It has already been diluted, which it should be in any case, but feel free to dilute further with water. Remember to enjoy your juice immediately after making it, and preferably on an empty stomach! It is alkalizing and provides you with a better nutrient punch that any vitamin capsule. Raw appétit!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Upcoming Raw Food Classes! Spring Cleaning for Your Body...
-Eating for Beauty: Detoxifying Recipes
-Proper food combining to aid digestion
-Simple techniques for cleansing and detoxification
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Getting Back to Raw Lifestyle Basics
I’m working on getting back to basics with my own raw food lifestyle lately…I have gained 4 or 5 extra pounds over the past couple of months, and while I first blamed it on adding extra muscle during marathon training, it really was more a result of adding extra cashews…and raw macaroons…and kale chips…and lots of tahini…and too much olive oil…to my diet.
While I’ve been very good about making greens the basis of my diet, adding extra fat to them to make them tasty (VERY tasty) isn’t a good thing, and it is entirely possible to overdo it eating just about anything, regardless of whether its “raw” or “healthy.” And given that I have a wedding dress fitting in a few weeks – and would very much like to fit into the dress! – it time to pay a little more attention to what I put in my mouth!
I think simply being more mindful of the added fats that I eat will do the trick, for example, putting a tablespoon of tahini on a salad rather than gobbing it on, or measuring out a couple of teaspoons of oil to marinate veggies rather than just eyeballing it (obviously, my eyes are bigger than my belly!). But I am also trying to add lighter, more hydrating soups into the mix of the salads and raw entrees I eat…for example, lunch today was a yummy, savory blended soup pretty much made of what veggies I had around. I just chopped it up, and tossed it in the blender…easy, and tasty.
Zingy Green Soup
1 ½ cups celery
3 cups cucumber (peeled if skin is waxed)
1 ½ cups parsley
¼ cup dulse (other sea veggies would work fine, too)
1 cup water
Juice of ½ to 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic
1 inch knob of ginger, peeled
Pinch of salt & pepper, to taste
Chop everything into medium sized pieces (to be kind to the blender), and blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. The dulse (which will add a concentrated mineral punch, as well as lots of flavor) will impart some saltiness, so don’t add salt until after the dulse is blended in and you’ve tasted the soup for seasoning. That’s it! Raw appétit!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Gearing up for Another Raw Marathon
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Got Sprouts? Sprouted Chickpeas Hummus
The "mother" of the raw food movement, Ann Wigmore, said about the way of eating "Live food, live bodies, dead food, dead bodies."
In referring to raw food as "living" food, most people are just referring to the nature of the fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds...nothing has been cooked, and all of the enzymes of the food are intact. Sprouts, in particular, are pretty lively. As little seeds literally bursting with life, they are chock full of enzymes and are particularly nutrient dense. How could that not be a great way to fuel your body?
I admittedly don't love sprouts on their own or in a salad, but sprouted chickpea hummus is a really yummy way to eat a whole bunch of them.
3 cups sprouted chickpeas
¾ cup raw tahini (I find mine in the refrigerator at the health food store…it is also delish with lemon, oil, salt & pepper as a salad dressing)
4-5 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil (you may need more if your chickpeas seem really dry)
1-1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1/3 cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons, depending on their size)
½ cup parsley
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Raw appétit!
Monday, April 5, 2010
What's up, Doc? Raw Carrot Tahini Soup
Raw soups – just like all other raw food – can be tricky to convert because usually veggies taste different raw, and can be different from one day to the next depending on how fresh they are. And I added a couple of dates at the end, figuring one thing missing from the overall taste was the caramelized sweetness of sautéed carrots.
Not having made the original, I have no idea how mine compares, but I think it is pretty tasty:
In a large blender, combine:
½-3/4 cup leeks, chopped, depending on how leeky you think you’ll like it
1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on how many vampires you want to scare away
1 ½ cups celery, chopped
4 cups of carrots, chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup raw tahini (I find this in the fridge at my local health food store)
1 -1 ½ teaspoons salt (start with one, add a little more if necessary)
2 cups of water (start with 1, add more as you go til you get to desired smoothness)
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of black pepper
Handful of fresh cilantro (probably ½ cup loosely packed)
Handful of fresh parsley
2 dates
Blend to desired thickness and smoothness. This recipe will make 6-7 cups, so make sure your blender is large enough for all that. If not, halve the recipe (or make ¾ of it, if you are particularly mathy), or get a bigger blender! Serve chilled or lightly warmed from the action of your blender.
Raw appétit!