Raw Experiences

The Raw Food Dish Grocery List

 

 

              

 

                                                                                                                             

 

 

When you are in the supermarket and you are choosing what to buy this little handy list will help you to make some delicious choices. Share your thoughts!

 

Melon Fruits like cantaloupe, watermelon and honey dew are great for the skin. You can make delicious juices and drinks out of them; you can also utilize them in fruit salads, smoothies and sorbets.

Berries like strawberries, blueberries, black berries and raspberries are low fat foods; they are used extensively in raw food cuisine. You can make wonderful berry smoothies, pies, icecreams, cakes, fruit dips and sauces out of them.

Sweet Citrus fruits like oranges are full of vitamin c and are great energizers. They give a great tropical flavor when added to smoothies. You can also make raw orange soda by mixing fresh orange juice with mineral water. Frozen orange juice can make great popsicles and orange rind and juice added to raw granola gives them great flavor.

Sour Citrus fruits like lemons and limes are very ph balancing and when consumed regularly give your skin a beautiful glow. They play a very important role in providing a pop and tangy flavor to all your salad dressings, raw chesses and cheese cakes.

Mangoes- Are a very popular fruit, delicious on their own and packed with many vitamins it’s a wonder why so many raw foodist can’t get enough.  You can utilize them in many ways from ice creams, cakes, pies, puddings and fruit dips.

Coconuts-are a staple food item in raw foods, especially young Thai coconuts and for good reason. The water can be added to green juices and smoothies to add a natural sweetness and to cut down the harsh flavors of green and ginger juice. The meat or jelly can be blended and dehydrated into a crepes or rice wrappers for spring rolls. When blended the meat makes raw pies smooth and airy. The jelly can also be eaten by itself as a quick delicious snack. 

Apples- An all American favorite can be used to make raw apple cobbler, apple sauce, apple pie, apple juice and frozen apple Italian ices. Also chopped apples are great when added to raw granola.

Bananas-There’s nothing like a just ripe organic banana. Bananas play an important role in raw cuisine. They are excellent in smoothies especially green ones. Also you can make amazing fruit leathers with them. Banana foster smoothies, banana cream pies, and banana ice cream are all things that can be made with bananas.

Opening Up about Raw Specialty Items

 

 

 

This is a cool little list that I put together especially for the newbies out there who are a little unfamiliar with  raw super foods. Also it is a handy reminder list for long time raw fooders.  

Goji berries- Full of antioxidants these red berry gems are great when added to raw crunch bars and trail mixes.

 

Coconut Butter- Which utilizes both the coconut meat and the water to form a smooth consistency is a great source of healthy fats. When added to raw ice creams, pies, chocolate and smoothies it adds a ton of rich flavor and it keeps raw chocolates and cakes solid at room temperature.

 

Coconut oil- Is coconut water that is aged. The oil is great for putting into things like raw cheese cakes, which allows them to keep their shape at room temperature. Coconut oil is also great for chocolate and chocolate sauces

 

Raw Chocolate powder- Is a processed form of the cacao bean. This powder is bitter by it self and full of antioxidants. You can make many chocolaty snacks with it. Chocolate smoothies, chocolate bars, a chocolate cake, pies dips and the list goes on.

 

Agave Nectar- is a low glycemic sweetener that comes from the agave plant which bears a striking resemblance to the aloe Vera plant. Agave blends very well and you can use it to sweeten all of your raw creations.

 

Blue Agave Nectar- is very similar to regular agave nectar however it is grown in volcanic soil. You can use it to sweetener all of your raw foods and it is also low glycemic.

 

Cacao Butter- is made by a process which separates the cocoa butter from the raw chocolate. The coco butter has a beautiful chocolate sent. Full of healthy fats you can use the butter in your cakes, ice creams, and raw chocolates and even as an all natural moisturizer.

 

Cacao Beans- Are the whole chocolate beans that are extracted out of the cacao pod. The beans are crunchy and very bitter however when blended with agave and coconut butter you can create some of the tasty raw chocolate ever. Cacao beans are also great when added to raw trail mixes, sprinkled over raw ice creams and added to raw pie crusts.

 

Cacao Nibs- are cacao beans that have been broken into pieces; you can use these antioxidant brown gems the same way that you use cacao beans.

 

Carob Powder- is the pod of the carob tree which has been crushed into a fine powder. Raw carob has a very subtle raw chocolate flavor. Many people who don’t indulge in raw chocolate substitute raw carob in their pies, cakes, ice creams and smoothies.

  

Agar Agar- is an all natural thickening agent. You can use it to thicken fruit sauces, or you can use it to create solid raw cheeses.

 

Raw Organic Nama Shoyu- Is a raw unpasteurized soy sauce; you can use it in some of your raw savory recipes and in the place of salt.

 

Raw Honey – is an unprocessed form of honey that is full of pollen and live enzymes. Raw honey is a great sweetener that can be used in smoothies and nut milks.

 

Vanilla Beans- Sun cured vanilla beans are such a great treat; they give all of your raw desserts a balanced smooth flavor and when added to raw ice creams they add a specked vanilla bean look and flavor.

 

The Best Raw Vegan Chocolate

 

This recipe is very great, rich in chocolate flavor yet creamy, it goes a long way.

 

½ cup of cacao nibs

1 cup of cashews

Small pinch of cayenne

½ cup of agave

1 scrapped vanilla bean

1/3 cup of coconut oil

1/8 cup of coconut butter

Pinch of salt

¼ cup of water

Place every in the blender and blend until smooth.

 

Use 1. Freeze in the freezer and cut into squares and enjoy it like a candy bar

Use 2. Freeze in the freezer and from into small balls and make chocolate truffles

Use 3. Dip crisp whole apples in this sauce and freeze

Use 4. Use it in any way you like

 

 

Raw Chocolate dipped apple, decorated with dried coconut, cacao beans,goji berries and chopped walnuts.

 

Taking Control Of Your Kitchen

 

                                                                                         Home Kitchen Tips

As a chef and someone that works out of a home kitchen almost everyday I know how difficult it is to keep up with a raw food kitchen. When I am preparing a dish it sometimes amazes me at just how much dishes and garbage there is and fruit and vegetable scraps left behind. As a somewhat perfectionist I use to get overwhelmed however now I have created a plan for taking control of your kitchen.

 

Step 1 : Start out with a clean kitchen always there's no exception. You must start with a clean kitchen because every other step just won't work. This practice allows you to ensure the safety of your food and it keeps you in order.

 

Step 2 : Organize the ingredients in your cupboards, Shelves, and refrigerator. This practice allows you to get to your components easily and put them back keeping order in your kitchen.

 

Step 3: Clean as you go this is another vital step as you already know. When you peel a fruit or vegetable throw the peel in the garbage or if there's a spill whip it as you go. Also when your food processor is whizzing away use that time to wash a few dishes, forks and spoons. This simple practice allows you to not have a mountain of dishes to clean at the end.

 

Step 4 : Always pray before and ask God to guide your hand.

Which one would you rather 

 

Every Day

Wipe as you go 5 min

Clean Dishes as you go 2 mins

Clean the flor every day 5 mins

 

 

 Every Week

Clean your counter tops 20 mins

Wash Dishes 45 mins

Clean the flor 25  mins 

 

For more helpful tips check out How To Keep Your Kitchen Clean