July 31st, 2011
Paloma has her own basil plant and takes care of it with pride and a funny crinkle of seriousness on her forehead. She planted it and painted the pot green with the help of her daycare teacher. Things like these always leave me wishing for a big backyard and a garden for her to play in and learn from. Sometimes, when she is not looking, and when I want to give my bigger basil plant a break, I sneak some of her herb for our meals. I did for this pad thai.
I’m not sure why I didn’t share this recipe earlier. It has been a staple dinner for us for a while now, very quick and easy in preparation. I don’t always make it with white crab mushrooms, but found them at an Asian market the other day and couldn’t pass them by with a name like that.
Kelp noodles, something I always have in my pantry, are made out of sea vegetables, which automatically makes them very nutritious. They are neutral in taste, noodle-like in texture, and absorb any sauce they are in. Overall, a great way to enjoy the benefits of seaweed.
Here, the flavours of coriander, almond butter, and coconut oil work wonderfully with fresh herbs and baby bok choy, making one of my favourite dinners.
White Crab Mushrooms and Bok Choy
1 bunch of baby bock choy or several leaves of regular bock choy – thinly sliced
1 package of White Crab mushrooms or any other kind you like – separated
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sprinkle the mushrooms and bok choy with olive oil, salt, pepper, and toss to coat. Spread on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray, and dehydrate for 1-2 hours at 95F.
Pad Thai
2 tablespoons raw almond butter
1/3 cups coconut oil
1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 jalapeno pepper – seeded
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup purified water
1 package kelp noodles
In a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients with the exception of kelp noodles to a smooth, sauce-like consistency.
Drain and wash the kelp noodles, and cut them into shorter pieces if you like. In a large bowl, combine the noodles with mushrooms and bok choy. Pour the sauce over and mix thoroughly. Optionally, add fresh green peas, basil, and/or mint leaves. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios or hazelnuts and enjoy.
Tags: raw food, recipe, savoury, staple
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January 15th, 2011
We’ve got a new staple food. One that often acts as an accompaniment to breakfast tea, or as a snack at work, or a dessert after dinner, or all of the above. It has earned an almost permanent nook in Paloma’s lunch box and a thumbs-up from all the friends who’ve tried it. Needles to say, our new staple tastes good. Delicious and satisfying, to be exact.
Fig bars.
We didn’t have Fig Newtons when growing up, but had something similar – a cookie with a chewy, fruity filling. I’ve often thought about that cookie and craved a more nutritious alternative. Finally, I found the recipe, or, as I often feel with this sort of thing, the recipe found me.
The recipe is adapted from Living Raw Food. It yields moist, chewy, and nourishing fig bars that, dare I say, taste better than any Fig Newton I’ve tried.
Now, here’s a cooking mystery that I’ve been trying to solve. The original fig bar recipe calls for coconut oil in the “dough” part instead of the almond butter that I used in my adapted version. I’ve tried to use coconut oil, but it immediately went rancid in the dehydrator. I didn’t give up easily and tried to use different brands of coconut oil, but the result was always the same – rancid. I’m puzzled – it never happens when I use coconut oil in other recipes that require dehydration. If you happen to know the reason, please let me know. I’m truly curious.
Edit: Thanks so much for all your help in solving the mystery. It turns out that the sprouted oat flour+coconut oil=rancid formula is universal, literally. Many readers have lost trays of cookies and bars because of it. Some have suggested that it is because of the water in the recipe, some have said that it is because the coconut oil is raw and is not fit to be heated to higher temperatures. Since then, we’ve also tried to substitute the coconut oil with raw cacao butter and the bars turned out excellent!
Have a lovely weekend.
Fig Bars
(Adapted from Living Raw Food)
Dough
8 cups sprouted oat flour
2 cups maple syrup powder
1 cup raw almond butter OR raw cacao butter
1 cup date paste
1/4 cup vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon purified water
In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Add the almond butter and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix the date paste, vanilla extract, and water. Add to the dry mixture and combine well.
Filling
6 cups fig paste (see below)
1/2 cup raw agave syrup
To make fig paste, soak any kind of dried figs for 8 hours. Then blend in a food processor, adding the soaking water as needed to achieve a smooth consistency. Keep refrigerated in an air tight container.
Assembly
In order to form the bars, you will need two trays that fit in the bottom of your dehydrator. We use half-sheet pans that can be found at any restaurant supply store.
Line the two pans with parchment paper. Divide the dough equally between them and press into the pans to achieve a uniform thickness. Using a knife, cut the dough in one of the pans into 4 even parts. Place that pan into the freezer for about 10 minutes, so that it becomes more firm for easier handling.
Meanwhile, mix the fig paste with the 1/2 cup of agave, and evenly spread this mixture on top of the uncut dough in the second pan. Remove the first pan from the freezer and carefully place each quadrant on top of the fig paste layer.
Place the sheet pan in the bottom of the dehydrator and dehydrate at 115F for about 6 hours. Remove from the dehydrator, cover with parchment paper and invert your second empty pan on top of it. Carefully flip over, holding both pans together and remove the upper pan. Peel away the parchment paper and place back into the dehydrator for another 6 hours. Once removed from the dehydrator, cut through all the layers to form bars of any size you like. I cut each quadrant in half lengthwise, then across into 8 sections to make 64 bars. Transfer the bars onto screen-covered dehydrator trays and dehydrate for another 10 hours.
Another great thing about these bars – you can always order them online through One Lucky Duck, or pick one up at their takeaway in NYC.
Tags: breakfast, dessert, food, raw food, recipe, snack, staple
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April 26th, 2010
I remember tasting this dish for the first time and wondering why I ever bothered to cook zucchini or marinara. It tasted so shockingly delicious that I wanted to drink all that sauce up by myself. The spaghetti is so tender, yet crunchy, and surprisingly easy to prepare on a spiral slicer. When combined together, you end up with a plate of alive and vibrant food, infused with the aroma of fresh herbs. The dish takes mere minutes to prepare, and works especially well during tomato season, which will start soon in the warmer months of the year. It’s also ideal for a first tasting of raw food, as everyone loves it.
My oregano plant. There are many different types of oregano. I have the Cuban variety, according to Google. It’s a beautiful plant, easily grown and managed. I love to have it handy for all kinds of dishes, especially those that include tomatoes.
There are dozens of recipes of fresh marinara on the net. This one is a combination that I like the most:
3 large heirloom tomatoes, or the equivalent of the same amount of cherry tomatoes – cut in chunks
2-3 halves sun-dried tomatoes
1-2 dates – pits removed
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup or more fresh basil leaves
1-2 leaves, or 1 tbsp of fresh oregano (optional)
Handful of flat leaf parsley (optional)
Celtic salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Serve over zucchini shaved on a spiral slicer on the spaghetti setting.
P.S. Please vote for Golubka, and much love to everyone who has.
Post by: A
Tags: a, food, raw food, recipe, savoury, staple
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