Month: July 2016

Raw Corn Chowder

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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Alright! I’m back to the raw. It helps that it’s been too hot to turn on my stove, bbq or oven. 🙂

Anyway, this is pretty fantastic tasting. I found it on a blog called Rawmazing. Despite the name, there looks to be an awfully lot of tasty, healthy recipes on there. You can find this one here. Anyway, she claims this serves 4. I would say it more serves about 3…I definitely wouldn’t plan on this being enough food for a dinner party with 4 people. I made it last night, and it fed both myself and the hubby…and I had a lunch to bring with me today. But 4 is pushing it. What it IS, though, is both raw and delicious. Don’t skip the smoked paprika!! That made the dish, as far as I was concerned.

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups fresh corn (about 4-5 ears) divided
  • 1 cup fresh almond milk (recipe follows)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
  • pinch himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1-2 avocados, cubed

Preparation:

  1. Place 3 cups corn and almond milk in blender or food processor and process until sooth. I used a vitamix and blended for a few minutes so that it was warm.
  2. Add remaining corn and pulse just to break down additional kernels. You want the soup to be chunky.
  3. Pulse in smoked paprika, cayenne powder, salt and pepper.
  4. Top each bowl with 1/4 of the pumpkin seeds, tomato and avocado.

Almond Milk:

Everyone likes their almond milk slightly different; I like a bit of sweetness in mine with a fuller almond taste. So, this is how I make it:

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 – 3 pitted dates

Blend in a Vitamix until smooth. Pour into a nut milk bag or a cheesecloth and “milk” it. It kind of really does feel like you’re milking it.

This is good!! LOVELY fresh summer flavors. We both loved it. And I can’t wait for lunch.

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Asian Style Cucumber Salad

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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This is really tasty, light, refreshing, and all that. I would say it’s more of a side dish than a main course, really hard to make it feel like a full meal. But it can accompany any number of dishes to add a little extra something, and it’s just lovely.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large thin-skinned cucumbers(about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced thin
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Shoyu or Tamari
  • 1 teaspoon agave or raw honey
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced or pureed
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne (more to taste)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts, sliced very thin
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preparation:

  1. Sprinkle the cucumbers with a generous amount of salt and let sit in a colander in the sink for 15 minutes. Rinse and dry on a kitchen towel. Transfer to a salad bowl.
  2. Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, cayenne, and pepper. Whisk in the sesame oil. Toss with the cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro. Chill until ready to serve.

Shrimp Mango Tacos

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

Well, I love shrimp, and I love mango, and I really love tacos. So put these all together and I’m a happy girl.

I found this in the NY Times Cooking section, you can find it (with very slight differences) here.

This is a really nice, quick, weeknight meal, too, especially if your shrimp come peeled and deveined. Mine did not. But it still only took me about 20 minutes to pull together.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil like canola
  • 1 pound medium or small shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted
  • 2 Serrano or bird chilies, or 1 large jalapeño, minced
  • 1 large mango, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons lime juice
  • 8 corn or flour tortillas

Preparation:

  1. Heat a large, heavy skillet or wok over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp, salt to taste and the garlic. Sauté, stirring or shaking the pan, until the shrimp begins to color, about two minutes. Add the cumin, and continue to cook until the shrimp is pink and opaque, about three minutes. Add the chilies, mango and cilantro, and stir together for one minute. Stir in the lime juice, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  2. I like to heat my tortillas right over a gas burner. Just lay it directly on there and quickly move around until it’s toasted all over. Place 2 tortillas on each plate, top with the shrimp, and enjoy.

 

 

Cold Spicy Kimchi Noodles

~ tracyshar ~ 2 Comments

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This recipe comes from the Times. And what a great idea it is. Eat it.

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

  • 1 cup finely chopped kimchi, plus 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
  • 1 medium garlic clove, grated
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
  • 1 tablespoon Japanese red miso
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • ½ teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
  • Salt

For the Noodles:

  • 8 ounces flat rice noodles or soba noodles
  • 1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced into half-moons (about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 3 or 4 large red radishes, sliced into thin rounds
  • ½ cup scallions, slivered
  • 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 3 eggs, boiled for 7 minutes, cooled in ice water, peeled and halved (cook 9 minutes for a firmer yolk)
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • Cilantro sprigs or choppedcilantro, for garnish
  • Lime wedges, for serving

Preparation:

  1. Make the sauce: Put the kimchi, juice, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, gochujang, miso, sesame oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, orange zest, fish sauce and gochugaru in a mixing bowl, and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust salt. Let stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes (or you can store overnight in the fridge, covered).
  2. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through but still firm. Drain in a colander, transfer to a bowl of cold water to cool, then drain again and set aside, covered with a towel.
  3. Just before serving, put noodles in a large mixing bowl. Add the sauce, along with cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, scallions and chile (if using) and toss gently to coat. Divide among individual serving bowls. Top each bowl with a halved egg, sesame seeds, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

DELICIOUS!!!

Mostly Baked Salmon and Smashed Potatoes

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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Well, this meal is fantastic. No, it’s not raw, but I’m on a mini break from that; I went camping this weekend (and everyone knows you need meat on a camping trip), and therefore had no time to prepare massive raw things to consume this week. It’s cool, I think a break was needed anyway, and when I get back to it next week I will be happier to be eating that way.

I think finding good salmon is important, since otherwise it’s supposed to actually be terrible for you. This here is wild Alaskan sockeye from Iliamna Fish Company, and is terrific. If you live in the NYC area you can also find it (seasonally) at Mermaid’s Garden.

Also, this recipe can be customized to whatever you feel like, whatever you have in the house, etc. Get crazy.

Ingredients:

  • 2 salmon fillets, skinned or not
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tbls. smoked spanish paprika
  • 1 tbls. fresh rosemary
  • 1 tbls. orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking potatoes
  • 2 pounds small potatoes (about 20), like Yukon gold
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Coarse sea salt

Preparation:

  1. Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper.Mix paprika, rosemary and orange zest, and press onto the top of each fillet.
  2. Place a steamer basket in a large pot filled with an inch of water and add the potatoes and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Steam until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 15 minutes. Remove the basket and let the potatoes cool enough to be handled.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  4. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes — I used a comal, which works perfectly if you have one. Add the oil and once it glistens, add the fish, coated side down. Cook about 1 minute, or until the spice mixture forms a nicely browned crust.
  5. Flip your fish and cook about a minute more, then transfer to the oven. Cook about 4 minutes for rare salmon, 5 to 6 minutes for medium rare and 8 minutes for well done.
  6. While salmon is cooking, gently flatten the potatoes, one at a time, between your palms so that they remain in one piece if possible (broken potatoes are also fine). Pour 1/4 inch of oil into a medium frying pan set over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and fry on both sides until crisp and browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with sea salt.

You’re done. Totally delicious, and mostly healthy.

Jicama, Mango, Sunflower Seed and Fresh Herb Salad

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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Um. This is outstanding tasting. And I bet you could mix it up however you wanted and it would still be great. Yes, again I got this recipe from Eat Raw, Eat Well (Douglas McNish) but in this case I already swapped out ingredients and used what I had on hand, which in this case was sunflower seeds instead of pumpkin seeds (although I fully intend to make this again with the pumpkin seeds, since I’m sure they go perfectly with these flavors).

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup peeled, chopped jicama
  • 1 cup peeled, chopped mango
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds
  • 2 tbls. cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbls. fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro*
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil*
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint*
  • pinch of sea salt

*Herbs can also be swapped out based on what you’ve got/your taste preferences.

Preparation:

  1. Combine jicama, mango, seeds, olive oil and lime juice in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to marinate.
  2. Add herbs and salt and mix well to combine.

The Antioxidizer

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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YUM!! A mix of many different ingredients all packed with antioxidants make this smoothie a delicious way to start the day. From Eat Raw, Eat Well, by Douglas McNish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup hemp milk (I like to make it with 3 cups of water to 2 tsp. of hemp seeds, plus 2 dates for some sweetness.)
  • 1/4 cup chopped kale or chard or other dark leafy green
  • 8 blueberries (I may have used 10 – 15)
  • 1 banana
  • 2 pitted dates
  • 1 tbls. raw cacau powder
  • 2 tsp. raw hemp seeds

Preparation:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or vitamix and blend until smooth and creamy.
  2. Pour into a cup and drink.

 

 

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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I admit fully to having my doubts about this dish. But it was actually amazing. Different, for sure, with unexpected flavors and textures. I was incredibly impressed, and, when I had unexpected visitors and this was all I had on hand to put out, they all asked for seconds!! Definitely a good meal to include in a raw diet, where it’s nice to have something different that feels a little more hearty. Oh! Did I mention that this is from Eat Raw, Eat Well again? I have NOT moved past the recipe stage of raw eating, since I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing at all, even with a recipe.

That said: make this for sure.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in 2 cups of water, covered, 8 hours in the fridge.
  • 1/2 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in 1 cup of water, covered, for 30 minutes.
  • 3 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp. chopped red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp. raw agave nectar
  • 1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. turmeric
  • pinch of sea salt
  • pinch ground pepper
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup of sweet potato strips (spiralized sweet potato)
  • 1/2 cup finely diced carrot
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

Preparation:

  1. In a food processor, process chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of their soaking liquid, until smooth.
  2. Add agave, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, pepper and cayenne and process until incorporated.
  3. Transfer to a bowl. Add sweet potato,  cilantro, carrot, bell pepper, and chickpeas and stir well.
  4. Transfer to a shallow casserole -type dish and dehydrate at 105 F for 30 minutes, until mixture is warmed through.

 

Eating Raw Updates; week 4 and 5

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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Above: Raw Buckwheat Pretzels

So, I’ve been learning a lot about eating raw. I’m still enjoying it, but I’ve lately been changing the way I approach it.

While I do find many, many things delicious on this type of diet, what I find myself craving is something crisp, something that feels like bread or crackers, so to speak. So I’ve tried out a few recipes that claim to provide the cure to that craving.

So far, I have tried raw buckwheat pretzels, raw tortilla chips, and raw chickpea/zucchini fritters. The result? These are all disgusting. Like not, I don’t like it as much as the real thing, or even, I could make myself eat this but I won’t enjoy it, just plain old, these are inedible and should not be consumed. Are there really people who claim otherwise? Yes! I know there are, because they are listed in these otherwise reliable raw cookbooks as “delicious” and other deceitful words. Now, it’s definitely possible that I’m just doing something wrong. But honestly, what could I be doing that’s THAT wrong, that it changes from delicious to horrifying?!?

Here’s the thing: this is extra annoying because of a few reasons. Firstly, a lot of time goes into making these. Like, a LOT of time. Second, all these things cost a lot of money!! It’s not cheap to buy buckwheat groats and ground flax seed, etc. So when I’ve invested this much time and energy into something that comes out looking like a concrete block, it’s majorly annoying. Also, what it makes me do is suddenly need to go buy a real pretzel, or the like, to satisfy the craving that I’ve had the entire 48 hours I’ve been making these atrocities. (EXCEPTION: raw granola. Which is outrageously amazing).

So, I’ve had to re-think things. Nearly every single juice, smoothie, salad, etc. I have tried has been delicious. So have all the zoodles, and sauces and dressings, granolas, nuts, and so on! Why not just stick to those things? It actually feels a little more natural that way anyway, and most of these things take FAR less time and energy to make…plus they are actually good. Which is the quality I’m looking for. I will try making crackers from my juice pulp, which has been recommended, but I’m dubious. I’m only doing it cause juice pulp is free.

All that said; up next is a recipe for a complicated, weird, not normal raw dinner that is oddly wonderful. They do exist!

Below: Zucchini Chickpea Fritters (these went directly into the compost.)

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Raw Waldorf Salad

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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This is crazy delicious. And also really hard to believe there is nothing bad in here, and that it’s entirely raw. I made it myself so I am sure, but it’s still, really hard to believe. Again, this is plucked straight from “Eat Raw, Eat Well” by Douglas McNish. (McNish, how are you such a raw foods genius?!?)

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked in 1/2 cup of water for 20 minutes and drained
  • 2 cups thinly sliced kale
  • 2 tbsp. cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, divided
  • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, divided
  • 2 tsp. fine sea salt, divided
  • 1/2 cup sliced apple, divided
  • 1/2 cup sliced celery, divided
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces
  • 1/4 cup raisins

Preparation:

  1. In a bowl, toss kale, olive oil, 2 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp. salt, and set aside to soften for 10 minutes.
  2. In a blender, combine 1/2 cup apple, 1/4 cup celery, water, soaked cashews and remaining lemon juice, vinegar and salt. Blend till smooth and creamy. Pou over softened kale. Add walnuts, raisins, remaining apple and celery and toss. Allow to marinade for 5 minutes before serving.

I found this kept well for up to 3 days. That’s all it lasted so I can’t say beyond that. The kale is nice and hearty so it keeps well even with the dressing.