My Christmas present to myself last year was a book called Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet.
I’ve been toying with the idea of raw food for a couple of years, but I didn’t get the impetus to do anything about it until Paul came back from the doctor’s late last year with high cholesterol results.
I looked around at raw food books at Amazon, and ended up buying Jennifer’s book, plus Ani’s Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food by Ani Phyo. Ani’s book is a bit more advanced for a beginner raw fooder like me, and a lot of the recipes require that you use a dehydrator. I only got mine recently, and I’m still experimenting with it.
So I’ve worked a lot more from Jennifer’s book, and I must say I’m impressed. I think I’ve cooked maybe 20 or more recipes and I’ve yet to find one I didn’t like. And I have at least another 10 or more that I want to try.
I love the convenience of being able to just chuck everything into the food processor or blender, and not have to bother actually cooking anything. I often forget the soaking step, so I’ll have to work on my planning ahead a bit more, but there’s very little effort otherwise.
In fact I seem to spend more time cleaning the processor than actually using it! And since I got my Vitamix in July, it’s got even easier and faster, and the creamy dips turn out SO smooth in a high-speed blender.
So far our favourites have been:
- Oatmeal – Soaked oat groats plus apple, cinnamon and maple syrup make for an easy and fast breakfast.
- Marinara sauce – She’s right. This does taste like the best slow simmered tomato pasta sauce you’ve ever had. So delicious! And versatile.
- Cheese and chive dip – This is technically a cashew and herb/onion dip, but I like to call it something familiar.
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Try to stop yourself eating this one! Chocolate Mousse – Dairy free and SO smooth and chocolately. I made a parfait with Vanilla Cashew Cream, plus berries (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries all work) and it was to die for. You have to try this one!
- Almond Cookies/Slice – Just almonds, walnuts, dates, vanilla and sultanas. It’s so fast and easy and tastes so good . I’ve been freezing mine in a slab and cutting it up, so there’s always something quick on hand to satisfy my chocolate cravings (when I have them).
- Lemon Herb Dressing – Perfect for marinating vegies (especially mushrooms) or as a dressing for a raw salad. Fast, easy and delicious.
- Zucchini Pasta – I did mine with a citrus zester which worked quite well, but I’ve recently got myself a Betty Bossi Vegetable Twister which makes it even easier. We mixed some marinara in with it, and it was fantastic!
- Flourless Chocolate Cake – This one uses walnuts, dates, cacao powder and vanilla, and is super fast and easy. Oh yes, and it tastes very nice too.
Since I’ve started making raw food dips, we’ve been having the most amazing sandwiches for lunch. Just three or four dips, plus fresh tomato, mushrooms, red capsicum, shredded carrot, sprouts (if you have them), maybe some shaved ham or a boiled egg if you want, and you’re done. Even nicer in a wrap, so you get to enjoy the flavours most of all.
And you just naturally end up eating mostly vegetarian, and even vegan, as a bonus. And with food this delicious, there’s no way you can feel deprived. In fact, I enjoy it all the more knowing it’s good for me! Such an effortless and fun way to go raw. We also discovered that it works heaps better to just start adding these kinds of delicious recipes into our diet, rather than ‘eliminating’ anything. With food this good, you just want to eat it.
Well, I am planning on living to at least 150, so this has to be a great way to get there.
Who knew raw food could taste SO good!
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