RAW!!!
My birthday was Friday, and one of the fabulous gifts my boyfriend got me was Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet. None of the recipes require a dehydrator, but some of them can be labor-intensive, as I found out. I made a raw "lasagna" with zucchini noodles and an nut cheese I found on www.alisacohen.com, as Cornbleet does recommend dairy items. The cookbook is not strictly raw, I'm sure--the recipes call for olive oil and other non-raw ingredients, but what I'm after is not purity, but being able to fix a meal without turning on a stove or oven
The lasagna was quite tasty, but it's just not very pretty, so no pictures. I also think I had too much sauce for the zucchini noodles, so maybe I'll cut the rest of the zucchini I got and toss it in the mix. I also made a dessert, a flourless chocolate "cake," and topped it with frozen cherries (I'll have to make a cashew creme sauce for next time). And this turned out much better appearance-wise:
Because the cake has no added sugar, it is a tad bitter, but it's still chocolatey goodness, I think, and I'll definitely make this again.
Proponents of raw food believe that cooking foods above a certain temperature (which varies) tends to kill all the enzymes and healthful properties. They refer to living foods, which means, of course, not cooked. While it's best to move away from processed foods, some foods are more easily digested when cooked, such as carrots. Tomatoes and mushrooms have more nutritive value when they are cooked. Grains, which are difficult to prepare raw (I have heard of sprouting, but in my tiny kitchen, I am not about to try it), have many healthful properties. And it's hard enough being vegan in this cruel world without further reducing what I can eat.
Still, eating more wholesome foods and a raw dish a few times a month is reasonable (at least during the summer), and I will try to create more foods, probably on the weekends, that don't make use of my oven. I also have tons of spinach, since I bought way too much thinking I'd need it for my lasagne, so if you have any ideas, let me know.
The lasagna was quite tasty, but it's just not very pretty, so no pictures. I also think I had too much sauce for the zucchini noodles, so maybe I'll cut the rest of the zucchini I got and toss it in the mix. I also made a dessert, a flourless chocolate "cake," and topped it with frozen cherries (I'll have to make a cashew creme sauce for next time). And this turned out much better appearance-wise:
Because the cake has no added sugar, it is a tad bitter, but it's still chocolatey goodness, I think, and I'll definitely make this again.
Proponents of raw food believe that cooking foods above a certain temperature (which varies) tends to kill all the enzymes and healthful properties. They refer to living foods, which means, of course, not cooked. While it's best to move away from processed foods, some foods are more easily digested when cooked, such as carrots. Tomatoes and mushrooms have more nutritive value when they are cooked. Grains, which are difficult to prepare raw (I have heard of sprouting, but in my tiny kitchen, I am not about to try it), have many healthful properties. And it's hard enough being vegan in this cruel world without further reducing what I can eat.
Still, eating more wholesome foods and a raw dish a few times a month is reasonable (at least during the summer), and I will try to create more foods, probably on the weekends, that don't make use of my oven. I also have tons of spinach, since I bought way too much thinking I'd need it for my lasagne, so if you have any ideas, let me know.
posted by Danielle @ 9:30 PM
5 Comments:
At 9:59 PM,
urban vegan said…
Danielle, I'm pretty much with you when it comes to raw foods. Although I like the idea and am intrigued, I don't see myself being a raw foodie.
But your raw dessert looks gorgeous enough to inspire me to get a raw cookbook, for those raw moments.
Happy belated b'day!
At 10:36 PM,
Carrie™ said…
Happy Birthday Danielle! I've seen recipes for raw lasagna and it sounds VERY labour intensive. That would definitely be a weekend dish. As long as it tasted yummy, who cares what it looks like. But your cake is very pretty.
All I can think of for your spinach is the obvious, spinach salad or perhaps one of those hollowed out pumpernickel breads with the spinach dip. I'm not sure what goes in it...sour cream and mayo I think. Easy enough to veganize. Good Luck!
At 12:47 AM,
KleoPatra said…
Hi Danielle, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you (late). Your boyfriend sounds like he knows you pretty darn well. That sounds like a great recipe book for helping incorporate more raw food into the diet.
Sorry the lasagna didn't make it to the photo shoot but the cake made me drool. Bitter? That can be good if your taste buds can handle it. (Of course i'd ruin it and use Cool Whip to offset that...)
Hope the year ahead brings more wholesome foods into your diet along with good health and happiness, which are sure to follow suit!
At 11:56 AM,
Jen said…
Those look like some fun experiments... I love bitter dark chocolate! So Cornbleet recommends using raw dairy??? Eww!
Ideas for spinach... a pesto sauce? This is nice because you can freeze some for later. Or you could always throw some spinach into a fruit smoothie (I swear, it's good; the fruit flavors dominate).
At 9:02 PM,
Danielle said…
kleo, I had it on my Amazon wish list so he knew what I wanted.
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