Ani's Raw Food Essentials (9 page)

The benefits to soaking and sprouting is that this begins the germination process in the dormant nut or seed, making it easier to digest and converting the carbohydrates to protein. When I'm traveling and on the road, it's impossible for me to soak or sprout, so I'll forego it then, and do the best I can when I'm at home.

Ideally, you want to soak all nuts and seeds before using them in your recipes. But again, do the best you can. I find that lately I have less time for soaking and sprouting than I used to.

I take the easy route and soak the nuts and seeds overnight. If you want to follow more specific instructions, here's a general chart to work from:

Pickling is a way to preserve food and creates a tangy flavor that is a tasty accompaniment to any dish, including sandwiches, wraps, rice, and even salads. It creates healthy bacteria during the fermentation process, which will aid your digestion so you can absorb more nutrients from the food you eat.

Fermenting drinks is another beneficial way to get more of those good-for-us bacteria into your body; again, I'll show you how to make fermented drinks in the next chapter.

The following recipe is an easy vinegar-free pickle dish made with a salt brine. It'll be ready to eat in one day. For an even speedier pickling time, I include a vinegar recipe in chapter 5, along with many other pickled vegetable recipes.

 

Cucumber is softened in salt and lemon juice, then set aside for a day to pickle.

1 cup cucumber, peeled, cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a nonreactive mixing bowl, toss the ingredients together. Place in a pickle press, under pressure. Or, place a plate over your mixture in the bowl, and stack heavy plates on top of it. Set aside at room temperature for 1 day.

 

Will keep in the fridge for several days.

 

VARIATION:
Add 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, or other dried or fresh herbs and spices, to the basic recipe to make additional flavors.

I encourage you to substitute your favorite ingredients whenever your heart desires. You may want to substitute a sweetener such as maple syrup for agave, or dried herbs for fresh (two to one), or collard for romaine lettuce, or almonds for Brazil nuts.

Notice the consistency and flavor when making substitutions. If substituting dates for agave, for example, you'll want to add a bit more water, as dates are a solid fruit and agave is a syrup.

Remember, when using whole food ingredients, no two dates are identical in nature, for example. One may be moister and softer, whereas the next is drier and less sweet. Use your own judgment to adjust levels of spice, flavor, sweetness, and/ or moisture to create the exact flavor profiles and consistencies you love. Here's some example sweetener substitutions:

PART 2

THE RECIPES

3

DRINKS

ALTHOUGH DRINKS MAY seem to be a no-brainer in relation to a raw foods diet, threre are nuances of flavor and nutrients, as well as a huge array of possibilities. Even more traditional dairy-laden beverages can be converted to a great raw drink with some creative yet easy-to-fing ingredients. Raw drinks can be mastered when we focus on flavors, colors, and consistencies inspired by traditional nonraw versions.

 

Drinking is the easiest way to get nutrient rich foods into your diet. Add a smoothie, mylk, shake, or elixir to any meal for a blast of instant antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. The water and fiber in my drinks will fill you up while detoxing you from the inside out and will even help you eat less.

Smoothies, mylks, and shakes are made by putting fruits and/or nuts into a high-speed blender and blending them until smooth. Adding ice will create a cold, slushy texture. And using your high-speed blender will give the drink a smooth texture plus create bubbles on top, similar to a light cappuccino froth. If you don't have a high-speed blender, you may want to first grind your whole nuts into a powder before placing in your blender, to create a smoother consistency. I'll start you off with three different Basic Smoothie recipes and one Basic Nut Mylk recipe, then I will show you how to create new flavors from there.

Sun teas are antioxidant rich and are made by brewing water in a glass jar with tea bags in the sun. As with traditionally cooked teas, you can add mylk to make a latte.

MAKES 4 CUPS

Blend up your favorite fruit into a delicious, nutritious smoothie. Choose agave syrup or dates to sweeten, and adjust to your desired level of sweetness. Adding dates will give your smoothie more body, because dates are a whole fruit with fiber. Dates are caramel in color, so they will darken your smoothie. Agave syrup, on the other hand, is good to use for a lighter consistency and lighter color.

4 cups fruit, such as sliced banana, cubed pineapple or persimmon, or blueberries
¼ cup agave syrup, or 1/3 to ½ cup pitted dates, packed, as desired
2 cups filtered water
Ice (optional)

Place all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

 

Add ice, if using, and blend to mix well. Serve immediately.

 

Will keep for 1 day in the fridge.