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Skills For Raw Food Recipes

June 8th, 2011

Skills For Raw Food Recipes

raw food recipes

One of the great things about Raw food is that nature has already taken care of much of the preparation for you, and it is pretty much ready to eat the way it is!

But, by taking your culinary skills to the next level with Raw food recipes, you will be able to add even more variety to your diet which can save you from becoming bored.

None of the recipes in Eating For Energy require any special skills or equipment, and you could easily eat a varied and exciting Raw food diet without any of these extras.
However, today we will explore the world of dehydrators, which can add some “warmed” dishes to your Raw food experience.

Dehydrators For Raw Food Recipes

What is a dehydrator?

A dehydrator is a piece of equipment that will both warm and dehydrate food. The great advantages to a dehydrator are that:

a.) It warms the food without heating about 115. This means the nutrients are still intact, and that the food is still classed as Raw.

b.) Dehydrated foods have a much longer shelf life, so they are ideal for for long journeys and trips away from home when your access to Raw ingredients may be limited.

c.) Dehydrators can be used to make Raw treats such as crackers, breads and even Raw pizza crusts. This means you can still enjoy the texture and warmth of many familiar foods, which can make the transition to a Raw diet easier and more enjoyable.

d.) Dehydrators can make use of the pulp left over from making nut milk and juices, which can be used to make delicious Raw desserts and crackers. This means less waste and higher savings on food!

Raw Food Recipes That Can Be Made With A Dehydrator

Here are some ideas of Raw food recipes that can be made with a dehydrator:

Raw granola
Raw burgers, warmed
Nuts and seeds can be soaked and hydrated which switches off the enzyme inhibitiors
Home made sun dried tomatoes
Raw curry, warmed
Raw flax crackers
Raw pizza crusts
Raw flours can be made with the left over nuts from nut milk.

If you are looking to add dehydrated recipes to your repertoire then it is advisable to obtain a collection of recipes designed specifically for dehydrators. These can be found for free with a little research, or special recipe books can be bought

Many Raw foodies recommend the Excalibur range of dehydrators as being by far the best quality available. However, you can find dehydrators much cheaper than this on Amazon or eBay, which may be fine to start off with so you can first see if dehydrated food will play a large part in your diet.

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Prepare Raw Foods

June 6th, 2011

Skills To Prepare Raw Foods

prepare raw foods

For the most part, there are not a great deal of skills needed to prepare Raw foods. That’s the beauty of them – a little chopping, peeling or blending, and you’re done!
However, there are a few extra Raw food skills that you could take the time to learn, which will increase your repertoire of Raw meals, and enable you to make an increasing proportion of your meals Raw.

Learning how to make your own nut milk is a great start when learning how to prepare Raw foods. Some of the benefits of making your own Raw nut milk include:

Extremely quick and easy to prepare, so you can enjoy fresh, warm milk each morning
Environmentally friendly – no carton to throw away
Can be flavoured to your own taste
Kids love it

These recipes are adapted from recipes by Joy Houston of The Delicious Revolution.

How To Prepare Raw Foods – Nut Milk

Ingredients:

1 cup nuts (almonds work great, but you can experiment with other nuts and seeds)
7 cups water (adjust to make more or less creamy)
1 fresh vanilla bean, or few drops vanilla extract
Dates to sweeten if desired
Other flavouring as desired e.g. Raw cacao for chocolate milk

Method:

Blend everything together in a high powered blender such as a vitamix, for a couple of minutes until a creamy, frothy consistency is achieved
Leave to strain through a nut milk bag or a mesh produce bag, which can be bought cheaply on the internet

Once the liquid is strained you will be left with warm, creamy, delicious nut milk.
This recipe will make around 1.5 litres of milk, which can be stored in a glass container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
You will also be left with the pulp from the nuts, which can be to prepare Raw foods desserts if you have a dehydrator.

An even quicker way to prepare Raw foods nut milk

If you don’t have enough time to make this recipe, but still want to make your own nut milk, then there is an even quicker way to make it.

Simply whip up a batch of Raw nut butter with some dates, vanilla extract, agave syrup and water.

There is no need to strain this milk, so it is ready in seconds.
This milk will not have the exact same consistency of nut milk made in the traditional way, but is still much better than using boxed milk.

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Raw Vegan For The Whole Family

May 30th, 2011

Raw Vegan Transition For The Whole Family

Raw veganHere are some great tips on how to include more Raw vegan foods into your diet. This is a fantastic way to sneak more Raw foods into your families diet as well, without them even realising! As you become more used to eating Raw foods, and realise how fantastic you feel, you can make the whole meal Raw.

Partly Raw Vegan Recipes

Invest in a spiralizer – this inexpensive piece of equipment will enable you to create Raw vegan pasta and noodles out of vegetables such as cucumber, zucchini and sweet potatoes.
Top the Raw pasta or noodles with your favourite warm sauce. This is an absolute winner with kids and adults alike!

Served warmed pasta or noodles with Raw sauce, which is the opposite of the meal above! Use regular pasta and noodles and cook as normal. Whip up a delicious Raw pasta sauce by blending any combination of fresh vegetables (e.g. garlic, tomatoes, zucchini and bell pepper work well), along with olive oil, fresh herbs and seasoning. Pour over the warmed pasta.

Delicious Raw rice can be made simply by chopping cauliflower florets in a food processor for a minute or two until it resembles rice. Both the texture and appearance are remarkably similar to rice which the whole family will love. Start off by serving the Raw rice with the rest of the warmed meal – e.g. it is delicious with hot curries or any other meal which is served with rice.

100% Raw Vegan Foods That The Whole Family Will Love

The following recipes are made entirely from Raw ingredients, but are so delicious no one will even notice!

Raw salads – one simple way to increase you and your families Raw food intake, is to serve a huge Raw salad with every meal. As well as the raw veggies and salad ingredients you can also maxmimize the flavour and nutrition of the salad by throwing in nuts, seeds, fruit and oils.

Raw smoothies – Drinking Raw smoothies for breakfast is a great way to ensure that your family is getting super Raw nutrition at the beginning of each day. Experiment with different fruit combinations, and increase the nutritional value of the smoothie by adding “booster” ingredients such as wheatgrass, hemp, linseeds or fish oil.

Raw nut milk – Raw milk is delicious and easy to make. By switching from dairy to Raw vegan nut milk, you will be making a huge step forward for your health. If you plan on making fresh nut milk every day then you will get best results using a powerful blender, and some nut mylk bags Experiment with different flavours, such as almond and brazil. Nut milk can be used in smoothies, and also poured over non Raw cereal as a delicious way of incorporating more Raw vegan foods into your families diet.

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Immediate Energy With Raw Foods

May 25th, 2011

Raw Foods For Immediate Energy

immediate energy

Creating beautiful Raw dishes may sometimes appear complicated but there are so many Raw foods that require no preparation whatsoever. If you are in need of immediate energy, whether for exercise or just to get through a hectic day, then simple Raw foods cannot be beaten.

Here are some Raw foods and snacks that either need no preparation, or can be thrown together in less than 5 minutes, for a long lasting burst of immediate energy.

Grab and Go Snacks For Immediate Energy

Fresh fruit is perhaps the quickest, most effective snack for instant energy. The simple carbohydrates in fruit will give you an immediate energy boost.
For the quickest burst of energy choose fruits that are high in glucose, such as dates.
Glucose, unlike fructose, is already an instantly useable form of energy – it doesn’t need to be broken down further by the body.
Glucose will provide you with an immediate but short burst of energy, however, if you need a more sustainable energy source, then you should also fuel up on foods high in fructose (for medium-term energy), as well as some high-quality protein for slow releasing energy.
All fruits are a great source of fructose – simply grab whatever is to hand.
Add a handful of nuts or seeds to be eaten with the fruit for an instant snack that provides both immediate energy and more sustained energy.

Quick Preparation Snacks For Immediate Energy

Fruit smoothies take minutes to prepare, and can effectively provide both short and long term energy. Simply throw in some fresh fruit, along with some agave syrup, and some protein powder and you’re good to go.

Raw hummus and veggie sticks – make Raw hummus the same way you would usually make hummus, except we use sprouted chick peas (garbanzo beans) instead of cooked. The sprouted chick peas are blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and spices (such as cumin and cayenne), and you could also experiment by adding ingredients such as jalapenos or bell peppers for variety, Serve with Raw veggies sticks such as celery, cucumber and carrot for a snack that provides both short and long term energy.

Raw sports gels and puddings – the most amazing sports gels and puddings can be made from Raw ingredients such as fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, cacao and oils. They can be used both pre and post workout, or for providing immediate energy throughout the day.
There is a whole section in Eating For Energy devoted to snacks for immediate energy such as these, where you will find mouth watering recipes that can be put together in minutes.

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Living Foods For Optimal Health

May 21st, 2011

6 Must Eat Living Foods For Optimal Health

living foods for optimal healthLiving the Raw food lifestyle gives you amazing opportunities to incorporate living foods for optimal health into your diet. Here is a delicious sample of foods that you can look forward to including in a diet that is high in Raw, living ingredients:

Living Foods For Optimal Health – Fruit

Blueberries: Blueberries often get overlooked in favour of more exotic berries such as goji and acai berries. Blueberries, however, also pack a huge nutritional punch, and can be more economical to purchase. Blueberries contain compounds that inhibit cancer cell growth and bacteria such as e.coli. They also contain useful nutrients that are claimed to protect and improve vision. Enjoy them in smoothies, mixed with raw granola, or simply enjoyed on their own.

Dates – Dates can be eaten fresh or sun dried, and are an excellent source of iron and calcium. They can be used to sweeten desserts and drinks, as well as being delicious in salads and wraps. They are also a great pre workout snack for athletes. In “Eating For Energy”, you will find many innovative recipes that use dates in new and exciting ways.

Avocado – avocados contain a higher proportion of protein than any other fruit known to man. They are an essential source of fats for vegans, as well as being rich sources of vitamin E, B vitamins, potassium and vitamin C. They are especially useful in a Raw diet, as they add a satisfying, creamy consistency to foods such as soups and desserts, which can help wean you from cooked foods to Raw. They can also be enjoyed in salads, wraps and smoothies, as well as being delicious on their own. Avocados, therefore, are extremely high up on the list of essential living foods for optimal health.

Cacao: Raw cacao is packed full of phytonutrients and is another of the ideal living foods for optimal health. It contains huge amounts of antioxidants, and is one of the richest known sources of magnesium and chromium. Enjoy raw cacao nibs as a high powered snack combined with berries and seeds, or mix raw cacao powder into smoothies and desserts.

Living Foods For Optimal Health – Sea Vegetables

Kelp – kelp is part of the family of sea vegetables which are among the ultimate living foods for optimal health. Sea vegetables are used in many raw recipes, including Raw sushi and wraps, as well as sprinkled on salads. Kelp in particular is a rich source calcium, containing over 1000mg calcium per 100g. It also contains iron, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.

Living Foods For Optimal Health – Sprouts

Sprouts: Growing and eating your own sprouts encapsulates the very essence of what it is to enjoy a diet high in living foods for optimal health. Sprouting is cheap, easy and fun, and having a variety of different sprouts continually growing in your kitchen means that you will have a constant supply of delicious living food. Experiment with sprouting a variety of crops such as alfalfa, chick peas, lentils and quinoa.

If you are looking for inspiration on how to get more of the above foods into your diet, then my 12 week meal plan included in “Eating For Energy” will show you exactly how to do this. Inside the 359 page guide you will find information and recipes on how to include a whole range of the most essential living foods for optimal health into your life.

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