RECIPES

I thought it'd be good to add some of my favourite recipes...

One of my fave sites to go to for raw food recipes is Rawmazing.  I *love* the broccoli raisin salad and macaroons, and I'm looking forward to trying the cinnamon bun recipe; it sounds awesome!

My daughter loves raw pancakes for breakfast... Ani Phyo makes a good recipe, so does Rawmazing (but I grind all the flaxseeds, rather than using some whole and some ground).

Another great breakfast is Ani Phyo's "Not the chicks" scrambled pate on a bed of greens (and no dehydrator is necessary, unlike the pancakes, which taste best out of the dehydrator).  Delish!  (check it out on youtube, and sorry, i'm on dial-up, so i haven't got the link handy)

My kids also love a simple fresh fruit salad for breakfast.  I usually top it with a sprinkling of chia seeds (preferably soaked) and a little dried coconut.  Best is when we forage in-season for berries outside (huckleberries, salmonberries, blackberries, raspberries & strawberries & blueberries from the garden) before breakfast!

Of course, there's always green smoothies, and I like to load mine FULL of nutrients.  Or you could use David Wolfe's recipe for the Ultimate Smoothie

Chia pudding is something I like to make ahead of time and have ready to eat.  I usually combine 1/2c of dried coconut with 1/2c chia seeds, and then blend 3c of nut milk, a little sweetener or a few dates and a little cinnamon together and pour that over the seeds/coconut.  Stir, and stir again after 10 or 20 minutes.  Once all the nut milk's absorbed, the pudding's ready to eat.  My daughter, in particular, really enjoys chia pudding, and it's super-nutritious.

The book I reach for most often when looking for inspiration is Jennifer Cornbleet's Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 people.  I love the quantities, I love the simplicity, I love the taste.  Recipes like salsa, guacamole (great with flax crackers you've premade or you can get them here), or marinara sauce over zucchini noodles.  Coleslaw, collard wraps, nori rolls, soups, pates.  Lots of options. 

I like a raw greek salad: cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, sweet onion, tossed with EVOO & balsamic vinegar and a little sea or himalayan salt, fresh chopped basil or dried italian herbs, some olives, a handful of crushed walnuts, an avocado diced up, atop a bed of fresh salad greens.  Mmmmmmm good!

Raw pizzas are delicious, but I don't make them as often as I'd like to.  I like to have the crusts on hand (or get them here), whip up a little sundried tomato pesto, put some chopped veggies on it and voila.  Cafe Bliss in Victoria has is an endless source of inspiration for pizzas.

For snacks, it's nice to have some kale chips, fresh veggie sticks & a dip, celery sticks with raw almond butter & raisins, a piece of fresh fruit, or a handful of sprouted trail mix, a raw energy ball or Larabar-inspired snack, or a handful of rawfoodsooke tamari almonds or curry walnut nori sticks.

Desserts are the favourites of all, raw or non-raw alike.  Raw berry ice cream, apple crisp, cheesecake, chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, tropical tart, truffles... sooooooo many delicious options.  I like the recipes from Jennifer Cornbleet's book or from Cafe Gratitude's Sweet Gratitude book, which is *FULL* of desserts.

When I'm out on the road and haven't prepared food ahead of time, there are definitely options: Thrifty's has an avocado salad roll that, while it's wrapped in (non raw) rice paper and the dip's not raw, at least it's vegetable-rich.  Another option is a salad when out.  Or stop in at the local juice bar (Booster Juice or Jugo Juice) for a shot of wheatgrass and a freshly squeezed juice.  Of course you can always grab a piece of fresh fruit.  Or stop in at Cafe Bliss.  Or you could keep a package of Vega's Shake and Go in the car and mix 2T with 1c of water for a quick, high-protein snack.  Lifestyle's is another good place to get something quick; their raw food options are expanding with the burgeoning local demand.  So definitely, there *are* options for healthy eating when out.