Friday, December 31, 2010

Last Meal of the Year


It is the last day of 2010 and what better way to end the year with a home cooked or rather un-cooked meal. I scanned through my new recipe book which is named "Raw Food for Everyone" by Alissa Cohen and decided upon a dish called Buddha Bowl. Buddha is the enlightened one so I thought maybe this meal would bring me some good luck and enlightenment in the new year. Wishful thinking!
The dish consists of what Cohen considers a broth of dates, fresh ginger, scallions, jalapeno chili, garlic and coconut milk (its consistency did not remind me of broth but rather of a thick creamy sauce) and, a variety of mixed fruits and vegetables that are tossed into the broth. Produce such as ripe mango, avocado, daikon, carrots, spouted mung beans, bok choy, snow peas, and fresh herbs. I took her basic recipe and cut down the amounts in the broth, deleted the jalapeno chili and added red chili pepper flakes, and used sugar snap peas instead of snow peas (which was not a good idea because sugar snap peas are too fibrous raw). The dish looked lovely and tasted good, but really did not speak to me. I realized that as much as I enjoy raw desserts year round, I do not enjoy raw meals in the winter in New England. So, I decided to be creative and cook this meal instead.

I heated some oil in a stir-fry pan and added the cut up daikon, carrots, sprouted mung beans, bok choy leaves, sugar snap peas (much better cooked!), mint, and cilantro. I left out the mango and avocado all together and added baby spinach. This stir-fried for a few moments and then I added the original broth mixture along with peanut butter and cayenne. The result was much more to my liking. The warm, lightly cooked food felt better in my body and I really enjoyed the added peanut flavor. Therefore, it just goes to show that as well as culinary creativity and nutrition, it is important to be aware of what feels good in your body and spirit. I will continue to enjoy raw desserts, raw smoothies, and maybe some raw dips during the winter, but prefer my main meals to be lightly cooked and warmed.

Until next year...hope this new year brings you good food and good fun. Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Monday, December 27, 2010

A Week in the Raw

For this last week of 2010 I will be blogging on raw food recipes to give you some ideas for healthy meals to start your new year right. My cousin, who knows me very well, gave me one of my favorite gifts for Christmas...a cookbook. Of course, maybe I should call this one an uncookbook, as it is a raw foods recipe book. Nevertheless it is a book on food. Raw or cooked, simply does not matter to me because I just love anything and everything about food!

The first recipe I decided to experiment with is a Nut and Fruit Torte. I had all the ingredients on hand and this recipe was quick and easy to prepare. So as Emeril says, "BAM", I whipped it up in a cinch and enjoyed my first raw dessert of the week. OK, maybe I should have worked my way up to dessert, but I figured why not finish off the last week of the year by beginning with sweetness.

This torte made simply of nuts, dried fruits and lemon juice is rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and taste. One bite into the earthy, nutty treat had me licking my lips for more. It is a flavorful and healthy dessert that is easy to make and won't make you feel guilty for indulging in an extra piece. Bust out your inner culinary artist and experiment with this basic recipe adding more or less ingredients to your liking. Maybe use only one nut and one fruit, add spices, add raw cacao, use orange juice instead of lemon, or anything else your imagination can concoct.

NUT AND FRUIT TORTE - makes one 9" torte

1 cup pitted dates (soaked for 2 hours)
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pecans
Juice of 1/2 lemon


Combine the raisins, cranberries, and nuts in a food processor and blend until moist and mixture starts to clump together. Put this mixture into a 9" pie pan and evenly spread out over pan. Using your hand firmly press this mixture down until it feels somewhat solid and holding together.
In small food processor (I used the same big one and this mixture didn't blend as well) blend the drained dates and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Spread this "frosting" over the torte base. Garnish with nuts and fruits if desired. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate. Torte will cut easier after it is refrigerated.