Ani's Raw Food Essentials (66 page)

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

A rich sauce inspired by Thai peanut sauce but made with almond butter (since raw peanuts don't taste very good) and whisked with lime juice, garlic, and Nama Shoyu. Use in your maki, wraps, on noodles, and as a dressing.

½ cup almond butter
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ to 2/3 cup filtered water, as needed

Whisk all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl, slowly adding only enough water to create a thick sauce.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Shiitake mushrooms have a rich, earthy flavor that lends itself well to Asian cuisine. They are softened and marinated in Nama Shoyu and sesame oil for a sautéed consistency. I like to use toasted sesame oil for the rich flavor.

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 tablespoon toasted or raw sesame oil
2 cups spinach, well washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 nori sheets
1 recipe Sushi “Rice” (page 242)
1 ripe avocado, pitted, halved, and sliced thinly
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into long, thin strips

Place the mushrooms in a bowl with the Nama Shoyu and sesame oil, and set aside for at least 20 minutes to marinate. Squeeze out the excess liquid before using, and discard the marinade.

Next, toss the spinach with the olive oil, and set aside for 5 minutes to soften.

 

Lay a sheet of nori on a dry surface, such as a cutting board. Along the entire bottom edge (the edge closest to you) spread about 1/3 cup of Sushi “Rice” evenly. Press down gently. Arrange one-quarter of the avocado slices along the bottom edge of the rice, which will hold the rice bits together once rolled.

 

Along the bottom edge, spread an even layer of one-quarter of the marinated spinach, then the mushrooms, then the carrot. Roll up tightly. Repeat with the remaining nori sheets and fillings. (See Rolling the Perfect Maki, page 254.) Enjoy whole or slice into four to six pieces with a dry, sharp knife. Serve immediately.

11

DESSERTS

DESSERT IS MY favorite part of every meal; in fact, one of these raw desserts can make a nutritious meal in and of itself for me. My desserts are a delicious, nutritious way to add healthy, whole foods into any diet—which is an easy way to get rid of unhealthy, foods without even trying. The more nutrient dense foods we eat, the more
nutrified
we become the healthier we feel, and the less room we have available to eat empty calories or less valuable foods. I find this approach to be less stressful than focusing on the elimination of certainfoods out of our diet. Eating raw foods isn't about denial—it's about all the array of possibilities of the delicious, fresh foods your body will love.

By enjoying more of the delicious sweets in this chapter, you'll be displacing baked goods loaded with sugar, flour, eggs, butter, cream, and milk—ingredients that cause inflammation and swelling. Instead, you'll be eating superfoods such as nuts, seeds, and fruit—and the leaner you'll become. These desserts will help you achieve a tighter body full of valuable nutrients to build healthy bones, skin, fight age-accelerating free-radical damage, and create healthiness from the inside out. And, since our skin is our largest organ, health on the inside translates on the outside as a clear, radiant glow of health.

I start this chapter with an easy-to-make Basic Piecrust and Basic Fruit Pie Filling to which you can add ingredients to create new flavors and textures. Next are variations of a Basic Flourless Cake recipe that are simple yet sophisticated in presentation and flavor. I include two basic Ice Kream recipes, and several sweet sauces. Lastly are cookies that are really quick to assemble, using just a few ingredients, but require dehydration.

 

Yes, you can have your cake and eat it, too . . . and get a healthy glow on.

My pies are usually made in two parts, first a crust and then a filling.

 

Pie filling can be made with fruits or with nuts. I'll show you a really simple Basic Fruit Pie Filling, to which you can add other ingredients you have on hand, to mix up the flavors and textures.

You can make a kream pie or tartlets by filling your crust with Whipped Cashew Kream, made by blending cashews with a bit of coconut oil and vanilla, and topping with your favorite fruits.

MAKES 1 PIECRUST

This is the simplest way to make a fast piecrust. It's made with chopped nuts that are bound together, using sticky dates. I recommend lightly chopping the nuts for texture, but you can also grind them into a powder for a smoother crust texture.

Try using different varieties of dates and nuts to change up the flavor and texture. You can swap out the dates for raisins, cranberries, and other sticky dried fruits, and the nuts for seeds, coconut, and other dry ingredients.

2 cups nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, pecans, or walnuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups pitted dates (any type, preferably semisoft, such as Medjool)

NOTE:
If using drier dates, soak them first in filtered water for 15 minutes or more to hydrate before using.

 

Pulse the nuts into small bits with salt in a food processor. Make sure not to over-process nuts into a powder; you want small chunks for texture.

 

“Flour” the bottom of your pie dish with some of the finer nut powder to keep the crust from sticking to the pan.

 

Add the dates to the food processor with the nuts and pulse to bind into a dough. If the dough is too crumbly, add a few more pitted dates. Process until you get a dough that stays together.

Press the dough evenly into the bottom of your pie dish.

 

Fill with your favorite filling.

 

OPTIONS:
Some of my favorite combos include chunky almonds bound together with Medjool dates; pecan pieces held together with cranberries; and for a smoother crust that works well for small tartlets, I like to use an almond meal bound with Medjool dates.

FILLS 1 PIE

 

Here's an easy way to make a fruit pie. Choose your favorite in-season fruit, and slice thinly. Then toss in agave syrup, or your favorite syrup, to sweeten.