Posts tagged raw

When I first went Raw, I jumped right into it 100%. My original intention was only to do it as a cleanse, but I felt so good that I kept on going. I was lucky when i decided to go raw because I was still living at home and my mom had always been somewhat of a health nut. So I had things like a good blender and a juicer available to me.

But after moving to a new city and a new apartment, I don’t have the money right away to buy all the kitchen supplies I might need to go back to raw right out of the gate.

So I have to figure out a way to ease myself back into it.

Yesterday I got a copy of Sarma Melngailis’s two books Raw Food/Real World and Living Raw Food. Sarma is the Chef and owner of Pure Food and Wine, which is an amazing raw food restaurant in new york city.

The first book, Raw Food/Real World talks a lot about how she got into raw food, and making the transition.

They have been very helpful to read, and I have made recipes from both books in the past and they are delicious!

I am lucky enough to have a juice bar in the food court of my building at work. But if gets expensive. The more I keep drinking green juice, it really has been helping my body get back to that place of craving raw foods.

Slowly but surely, I am making this transition!

I mentioned in my last post that I moved to a new city. I moved from New York City (the big apple), down to Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love).

But in my head, these citys have had two very different meanings. NYC (home to pure food and wine, and other great vegan and raw foods places) and Philly (home to lots of sports, and cheesesteaks)

I realized that I had moved from raw food mecca (so to speak) to a city where raw was pretty much non existant. And even vegan restaurants were few and far between.

So what’s a girl to do when she is trying to eat healthy?

I thought about it a lot and I came to the conclusion that now I am living like most of the rest of the country. With limited access to raw food communities, and health food stores.

This was the perfect time to start my journey again.

Since going off raw I have been a very bad vegetarian. Eating lots of starch and cheese. Not lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

I need to find a way to get myself back to a good place, but I am starting from scratch. I need to figure out how to eat this way, all while working in an office 9-5 with little access to a good blender or juicer.

This will no longer just be a place to hold recipies, but a journal where I can talk about new foods I tried, raw cookbooks, raw food delivery services, and everything else to help me make this transition back to a healther place.

I had this last night at One Lucky Duck, and it was the best raw dish I have ever had. I will atempt to make it, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Zucchini-and-Green-Zebra-Tomato Lasagne with Basil-Pistachio Pesto
by Matthew Kenney

Ingredients
Lemon-Pignoli “Ricotta”
2 cups raw pignoli nuts, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional; available in health food stores)
1 teaspoon sea salt

Tomato Sauce
2 cups good-quality sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed), soaked in water for at least 2 hours
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
1/4 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons sea salt
Pinch hot-pepper flakes

Basil-Pistachio Pesto
2 cups packed basil leaves
1/2 cup raw pistachios
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Lasagne
3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
3 medium green-zebra tomatoes (or other heirloom variety)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Garnish: whole basil leaves

Cooking Instructions
Lemon-Pignoli “Ricotta”

Place the pignoli, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt in a food processor, and pulse a few times, until thoroughly combined. Gradually add 6 tablespoons water, and pulse until the texture becomes fluffy, like ricotta. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

Tomato Sauce
Place all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Basil-Pistachio Pesto
Place all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Lasagne
Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, shave zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices, then cut in half crosswise. Cut the tomatoes in half, and each half into thin slices. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with two layers of zucchini slices. Brush the zucchini lightly with olive oil, spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce over it, and top with small dollops of “ricotta” and pesto, using 1/3 of each. Layer on 1/3 of the tomato slices, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the oregano and thyme. Add another double layer of zucchini and repeat twice more with the tomato sauce, pesto, ricotta, tomato slices, and herbs. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic and let sit at room temperature for a few hours. Garnish with basil.

I have been sprouting these beans for a few days so that I can make this hummus.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups dry garbanzo beans
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed or to taste
• 1 cup filtered or spring water
• 1 pinch paprika

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak the beans for 24 hours. Drain, and let sit for 2 to 3 days, until the bean’s sprouts are about 1/2 inch long. Rinse the beans once or twice a day.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand for 1 minute. Place the sprouted beans in the hot water, and let sit for 1 minute. Drain. If you do not do this step, the hummus will be awful.
3. Place the sprouted beans into the container of a large food processor. Add the tahini, sea salt, lemon juice, and garlic. Process until smooth, adding water if necessary. It will take 3 to 5 minutes to blend. Let sit in the food processor for 5 minutes to allow the beans to absorb as much of the water as possible. If too thick, add more water, and blend again. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Spoon into a serving dish, and garnish with paprika.

(via allrecipes)

I will let you know how it comes out!

Hi, I’m Sarah Cooley and 11 days ago I went Raw Food Vegan!

I started eating raw as part of a 7 day cleanse, but I felt so good that I decided to keep it up.

I am not sure if I will stay 100% raw, but I wanted a place to post all the raw food recipes that I want to try, or have successfully made.

So that’s what I will use this blog for.