Ani's Raw Food Essentials (74 page)

Make your favorite fruit macaroons by mixing up the fruits you use in this recipe. Try banana, blueberry, strawberry, mango, or pineapple. The sticky fruit will bind your coconut together. If you like your macaroons a bit sweeter, add an additional tablespoon or two of agave syrup.

1½ cups whole strawberries, diced pineapple, blueberries, sliced bananas,
or your favorite fruit
3 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons alcohol-free vanilla extract (see Vanilla, page 262)
½ cup almond meal
2 cups dried shredded coconut

Place the fruit, agave, and vanilla in your food processor. Process into a puree. Add the almond meal and coconut, and pulse to mix well.

 

Use a 2-tablespoon scooper to portion the dough directly onto the mesh screen of your 14-inch-square Excalibur Dehydrator trays.

 

Press one almond into the top of each cookie.

 

Dehydrate at 104°F for 3 hours, or to your desired consistency.

12

SAMPLE MENUS

Weekday mornings can be rushed, especially when getting children off to school. A quick, easy cereal with nut mylk and toast are a great way to start the day, and they can all be prepared once at the start of the week.

My weekend mornings, which I try to make more leisurely, are when I'll have time to savor pancakes, crepes, scrambles, biscuits and gravy, and quiche.

Dried Fruit, Pecan and Coconut Rawnola, page 62
Vanilla Almond Mylk, page 41
Toast with Jam and Butter, page 91

Matcha Shake, page 43
Brazil Nut-Banana Pancakes, page 75
Berry Compote, page 281
Coconut Bacon, page 76, or Eggplant Bacon, page 78

Mango-Goji-Lime Smoothie, page 35
Huevo-less Rancheros with Red Enchilada Sauce and Pico de Gallo, page 83
Vanilla Kream Crepes, page 70

Basic Green Smoothie, page 32
Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Coconut Bacon Scramble, page 85
Biscuits and Gravy, page 93

My workday lunches are usually leftovers from my dinner the night before, or even brunch from the weekend.

I love bringing my own lunch. It saves money. Plus, it ensures I eat healthy so I stay my ideal weight, feel great, and remain productive for the rest of the day, without the postlunch slump. My co-workers have always been more interested in my raw lunches than in what they were eating.

Soups, pizzas, wraps, noodles, and burgers all keep and travel well, making terrific lunch options. These lunches can be enjoyed outside in the sun on a nice day, and on a blanket for a picnic, too.

Any of the following lunches can also be enjoyed as dinner menus.

Thai Iced Tea, page 51
Tom Yam Goong, page 140
Green Papaya Salad, page 157
Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles, page 227

Almond Buttered Banana Freeze, page 37
Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche with Coconut Bacon, page 88
Tender Greens with Pine Nuts and Sweet Mustard Dressing, page 153
Strawberry Shortcake, page 271

Basic Kreamy Fruit Smoothie, page 34
Tomato and Tarragon Bisque, page 137
Garlic Margherita Pizza, page 219
Custard Tartlets, page 267

I like to prepare weekday dinners with recipe items that can be made ahead and stored, then assembled quickly before serving for minimal effort and time after a long day.

Even on weekends, I find myself busy catching up on things left over from the week. The bottom line is, I prefer the fastest and easiest recipes always. Unless, for a special occasion, making dinner for someone I want to impress.

If necessary, components of burger, bread, rice, pizza, salad, soup, and noodle recipe can all be prepared days ahead of time and stored separately, and then assembled quickly before serving.

Most of these items keep and travel well and are great to carry with you for lunch the following day. So, make extra so you'll have leftovers.

Persimmon Smoothie, page 34
Wontons in a Light Sesame-Soy Broth with Peas, page 141
Korean Stir-Fried Kelp Noodles with Vegetables (
Jap Chae
), page 224
Napa Cabbage Kimchi, page 126
Spicy Korean Cucumber Slices, page 127
Chocolate-Banana Ice Kream with Hazelnuts, page 271

Ginger-Lemon Martini, page 47
Yin and Yang Salad with Jalapeño-Tahini Dressing, page 162
Mango-Macadamia Nut Maki, page 255
Marinated Shiitake Mushroom Roll, page 259
Coconut Cake with Nutella Hazelnut Sauce, page 271

Muddled Strawberries in Coconut Kefir, page 49
Nachos, page 109
Tortilla Soup with Jalapeño-Lime Kream, page 134
South-of-the-Border Wraps, page 180
Mexican Chocolate Ice Kream, page 277

Pomegranate-Mint-Cucumber Fizz, page 49
Caesar Salad Boats with Coconut Bacon and Rawmesan Cheeze, page 166
Chickenless Burger with Aioli Mayonnaise, page 197
Battered Zucchini Sticks, page 116
Sun-Dried Tomato Ketchup, page 205
Sliced Cucumber Pickles, page 123
Strawberry Kream Pie, page 266

I carry snacks with me when I travel and when I'm away from home, to ensure that I fuel myself with nutrient-rich foods that power me through my day.

Easy-to-carry travel foods that don't need refrigeration include cereals and dehydrated crackers, breads, nuts, onion rings, wrappers, and bacon. Traveling with breads and crackers makes it easy to assemble a sandwich or toast with fresh avocado and tomato when you arrive at your destination. And onion rings and bacon spruce up any salad you may order at a restaurant.

Prepared foods that travel well and can stay out of refrigeration for a few hours include drinks, collard wraps, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, soups, and breads.

 

Shelf stable, no refrigeration required

(ordered from the longest to shortest time at room temperature):

 

CEREALS

CRACKERS, FLATBREADS, PIZZA CRUST, CHIPS, CROUTONS

If fully dried, will keep for at least a couple of weeks at room temperature.

 

SEASONED NUTS

If fully dried, will keep for at least a couple of weeks at room temperature.

 

BUCKWHEAT-BATTERED “FRIED” ONION RINGS

If fully dried, will keep for at least a week at room temperature.

 

WRAPPERS

When stored on their own and fully dried, wrappers will keep for at least several days at room temperature.

BACON

When fully dried, will keep for many days at room temperature.

 

CAKES AND COOKIES

Basic Flourless Cake (page 268) will keep for days at room temperature when stored on its own, since all its ingredients are shelf stable to begin with. Assembled cakes last a few hours, depending on the fruit and sauces. Cookies will keep for several days at room temperature or longer, depending on how long they were dehydrated.

 

Can stay out of refrigeration for several hours or longer

(ordered from the longest to shortest time at room temperature):

 

SUN BURGERS

All dehydrated burgers will keep for a day or longer out of the fridge, stored on their own, without sauces.

DRINKS

Smoothies, Mylks, Shakes, Sun Teas, pages 31 to 51

 

CULTURED DRINKS

Can stay at room temperature for a day or more, but beware of pressure that builds up inside your bottle when opening.

QUICHE

CHEEZES

All, except Coconut Kefir Cheeze.

 

RICE AND QUINOA

Will keep for several hours or more when stored separately. Assembled recipes will keep for a couple of hours out of the fridge. The wrappers on nori maki rolls get soggy quickly once assembled but still taste good and will keep several hours at room temperature.

 

SOUPS

Will keep several hours out of the fridge.

 

WRAPS

Wraps rolled in lettuce leaves and collard will keep for several hours out of the fridge.

 

RAVIOLI

Assembled ravioli with wrappers made from such vegetables as sliced beets will keep for a few hours out of the fridge.

 

PIZZA

All assembled pizzas will keep for at least a few hours out of the fridge.

 

NOODLES

All noodles will keep for several hours or more when stored separately from sauces. Liquid will begin to release, so these are best enjoyed immediately. I don't mind extra juice in my noodles, though.

 

SANDWICHES

All sandwiches will keep for a few hours out of the fridge when assembled, and longer when their components are stored separately.

 

PIES AND SWEET SAUCES