Foo - raw foods!

my system is on no-no food overdrive with the holidays. :eek: In an effort to be more wholesome, I've been making more raw meals. I know we've got a variety of vegeheads, vegans, and foodies among us so I was hoping you could share some recipes or websites.

Here's one I really enjoyed:

Shrimp & avocado salad
1 lb cooked shrimp, cleaned and cut into 2-3 pieces each
3 avocado, diced
3 tomato, diced
1 chopped pepper (any color)
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
1 bunch green onion, chopped
2T lime juice
salt & pepper to taste (I used sea salt)

Mix together and let sit in the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.

oysters on saltines, with tobasco sauce!

Why does the shrimp have to be raw?

Why does the shrimp have to be raw?
oh, shrimp's not raw, woops!

oysters on saltines, with tobasco sauce!
your wife must love it when you cook. :rolleyes:

your wife must love it when you cook. :rolleyes:

you betcha

Oberto turkey jerky from the corner store
coffee
vitamin c tablets
cashews

what i live on at this place called the office

If it's good raw, imagine how delicious it'll be deep fried!

If it's good raw, imagine how delicious it'll be deep fried!

prolly better--more calories and therefore more nutrition.
gotta store it up for the long months ahead of no light
and no plant growth.

Oberto turkey jerky from the corner store
coffee
vitamin c tablets
cashews

what i live on at this place called the office
ding! we have a winner....?

ding! we have a winner....?I have a feeling that uncooked coffee would be even less pleasant than the regular kind.

And do people usually cook their vitamins before eating them?

Sashimi... a very tasty raw meal. :D

yeah, I have been eating off fresh sushi rolls half the week. I need some stuff I can prepare myself :)

I had pan seared Tuna tonight!!!

MMMMMmmmmm not totally raw but close, and really good for you!!

My very favorite raw recipe:

raw vegan "cheese"cake

Ingredients

* 2 cups raw macadamia nuts (almonds work well too)
* 2 1/2 cups raw cashews
* 3/4 cup pitted medjool dates
* 1/4 cup dried coconut optional
* 1/2 cup coconut milk
* 1/4 cup lime juice (lemon also works)
* 1/4 cup raw agave nectar (you could substitute 1/2 cup maple syrup - not entirely raw but very tasty)
* a bit of vanilla extract - like a 1/2 teaspoon or so.

Soak the cashews for several hours or overnight.
You can also soak the macadamia nuts or leave them dry

combine the dates and macadamia nuts in a food processor until they form a thick paste - you may have to add more dates or a little water if you haven't soaked the nuts.
Sprinkle the coconut in a pie pan, and press the nut/date mixture into the pan to form a "crust".

Combine the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding or reducing the coconut milk. It should come out like a thick batter.

Pour the filling into the prepared shell, and refrigerate or freeze until the filling sets up. Decorating the top with fresh fruit ads a really nice touch.

your first recipe reminded me of my favorite salad - avocado and grapefruit in equal quantities. The grapefruit should have its membranes removed. This is good by itself with a dash of black pepper, or with some cilantro, or mint or some other chopped spicy greens thrown in. A bit of pomegranate doesn't hurt either.

Just eat 7-9 full servings of fruit and vegetables each day. The majority of my meals consist of fruits and/or veggies with some good protein and carbs.

I always have fresh fruit salad and whole fruit at home. Also snacking veggies like baby carrots. If you take these to work you aren't tempted to hit the vending machines for sugar.

a raw diet is an easy way to reduce calories if you need too. but it can be hard eating that way all the time. if that's all you eat it is really hard to get enough calories. I did it for awhile when I was getting these upper respiratory infections. cleared up in 4 days verses 6 weeks normally. but after awhile I could not eat enough.

I want to add to this thread, but it will have to be in the morning.

I love raw food. A little over 3 years ago, I ate nothing but raw foods for half the year. It changed my life. I have a few recipes listed on my site (http://www.kombuchachic.com/?cat=7), one of my favorite being raw energy bars (http://www.kombuchachic.com/?p=46).

You can make salads very filling and satisfying by adding avocado and nuts.

A few of my favorite raw food sites are:

We Like it Raw (http://www.welikeitraw.com/)
Living Foods (http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/)
Raw Food Talk (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/)
Raw Guru (http://www.rawguru.com/)

thanks shadiyah! I'll look through some of those.

I don't think I could go all raw foods, but I definitely think its a key piece to me finding more healthful, satisfying flavors.

Oh, yes any amount of raw foods in a diet is a good thing. The more, the better. I don't think I can do all raw when it comes to the winter time and the amount of calories I burn, it's too hard to eat enough for what I do. But, I try to have at least 1-2 raw meals a day and that seems to work well for me. I'm going to try going back to 100% when I move to Costa Rica.

Ohh, I love the raw energy bars. Anyone can make them. Cake pan with ~5000 calories of yumminess to snack on while snowshoeing / snowboarding / mountain biking. :thumb:

throw in some raw oysters, fish and perhaps a steak tar tar and we've got a winner!!

Are cheezits raw? if so ,my diet has been extremely raw as of late

That shrimp and avocado salad sis good. I make something similar except I use tomatillos instead of tomatoes (or omit them altogether), use onions or shallots instead of peppers and I make a shrimp broth from the shells, then reduce it, strain and add to the salad. Serve as an appetizer w/ toast rounds.

edit: You can also make sushi/sashimi yourself. Get a book, a sushi kit and a fishmonger you can trust and knows what 'sushi grade' means. It's tons of fun, especially when you invite all your friends over and tell them they have to make their own dinner, then show them the sushi stuff. They get into it real fast and come up w/ some interesting things you'd never see in a restaurant.

This is (mostly) raw:

Bulgur Salad

1c uncooked bulgur, reconstituted with hot water till soft and then drained of excess moisture (should be about 3c when reconstituted)
2c cooked beans- black, kidneys, Great Northern all work well, as do garbanzos and lentils
2-3c chopped fresh veggies (mix of red, green, and/or yellow peppers; scallions; carrots; celery; anything else that strikes your fancy)
1 firm apple (Granny Smith is good)

Mix everything together with your favorite salad dressing- I prefer to keep this really simple, though- seasoned rice vinegar (it's salty, sweet, and sour), EV olive oil, salt, coarsely-cracked pepper, and maybe some dill or basil.

BTW- this works with any cooked grain- millet, wheat berries, brown rice, etc. It's really dramatic if you put some wild rice in there too.

my system is on no-no food overdrive with the holidays. :eek: In an effort to be more wholesome, I've been making more raw meals.

:roflmao: wash it down with kool aid while you're at it.

Black bean salad:

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 carrots, diced
3 ears of corn, kernels cut off
half of red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced.
1 minced jalapeno (optional)
1 minced clove of garlic
3 tbs of chopped cilantro
1 tbs olive oil
Juice of one lemon
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of this together in a bowl, let sit in the fridge for an hour or so.


Put on a bed of leaf or butter lettuce.

oysters on saltines, with tobasco sauce!


You don't really need (or want) the saltines!!!!!!!!!!!!

Black bean salad:

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 carrots, diced
3 ears of corn, kernels cut off
half of red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced.
1 minced jalapeno (optional)
1 minced clove of garlic
3 tbs of chopped cilantro
1 tbs olive oil
Juice of one lemon
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of this together in a bowl, let sit in the fridge for an hour or so.


Put on a bed of leaf or butter lettuce.


Yeah- that's what I'm talkin' about! The variations on this theme are endless and all tasty. I make this (or some variant) every Sunday night for my lunches during the week. Some possible additions/replacements:

Sun-dried tomatoes
Grape or cherry tomatoes
Roasted eggplant (OK, not raw, but who likes raw eggplant???)
Roasted winter squash, beets, or rutabagas (ditto)
Nuts (walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, almonds, etc.)
Raisins, chopped dates, dried figs, dried cranberries, etc., etc.

:thumb:

I think I actually put a green tomato or two in this. It's too late in the season to turn, and I have a ton of green creole tomatoes.


I usually make a green salsa with them, mixed with cucumber or zucchini.

I wish I could eat better. It seems like every time I try to eat healthier, I get burned out really, really quickly. The best I ever did was back in the Spring when I had a somewhat healthy diet for about a month. Then I gradually faltered with a bad meal here and there, until I was back to my old ways again. During the month or so, I lost about eight pounds and my cholesterol dropped something like 60 points. But I can't seem to keep it up. :(

mm some tasty ideas goin on in this thread. Cant wait to try a few!

I wish I could eat better. It seems like every time I try to eat healthier, I get burned out really, really quickly. The best I ever did was back in the Spring when I had a somewhat healthy diet for about a month. Then I gradually faltered with a bad meal here and there, until I was back to my old ways again. During the month or so, I lost about eight pounds and my cholesterol dropped something like 60 points. But I can't seem to keep it up. :(Sounds like you're a junkaholic.

You're addicted to junkahol.

Sounds like you're a junkaholic.

You're addicted to junkahol.

But I do enjoy it!

Seriously, I don't eat that bad constantly, but I don't do well. Most healthy food (that I've tried) just doesn't taste good to me, and I wish it did.

dude - try these:

http://www.quorn.us/


this stuff is amazing. really tasty and good protein source.

I need to just eat fruits and veggies period. I eat okay otherwise, my cholesterol is excellent and my bp was perfect before efreakinhidle and his cheezits messed me up:lol:

I just need to lose 40-50 pounds:o

My son likes raw ramen noodles. Does that count?

My son likes raw ramen noodles. Does that count?

You do know those are deep-fried, right? ;)

I eat a lot of raw foods, but I don't use any particular recipes.

I don't think I could ever go all raw though, I wouldn't get enough calories.

dude - try these:

http://www.quorn.us/


this stuff is amazing. really tasty and good protein source.

I need to just eat fruits and veggies period. I eat okay otherwise, my cholesterol is excellent and my bp was perfect before efreakinhidle and his cheezits messed me up:lol:

I just need to lose 40-50 pounds:o


That looks very good. I actually don't eat very much meat now. In fact, most days I don't eat meat at all. But I like mayo and cheese A LOT. :(

no mayo here but cheese is my lifelong nemesis/Achilles heel - I feel your pain.

I've been using hummus on my veggie burgers (in place of ketchup or other condiments) and it is absolutely amazing! Much healthier too.

You do know those are deep-fried, right? ;)

Uh, no, I didn't. :roflmao2:

tortillas..oops, those are cooked too.

To be honest, we don't eat much that's raw other than sashimi (sp?), and a few select veggies. Granny Smith apples though. Those are good. Even better when sliced thin and cooked briefly in butter, cinnamon, sugar, and apple brandy.

My son does like to stick his finger in my sourdough culture and eat that.

Oberto turkey jerky from the corner store
coffee
vitamin c tablets
cashews

what i live on at this place called the office


You say this with a picture of the Taxi Driver as your avatar...remind me not to visit :lol:

I just need to lose 40-50 pounds

You don't look like it. Are you sure it's that much? I probably need to lose about 20-25 myself.

You don't look like it. Are you sure it's that much? I probably need to lose about 20-25 myself.

Thanks - but I hide it well:o

That's to be in super duper fighting shape. (Target - 145-150 lbs; I'm just under 5'8").

To be honest tho - that was my ideal runner's weight at 25 yrs old. More realistically now (at 44) I'd be happy getting down to 170 (I'm trying like crazy just to get down below 200# again:mad:)

I blame the cheezies:twitchy:

ok...i'm really trying to do better at eating - will make a run to the farmer's market, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods this weekend...but, what do you eat for breakfast if you are eating raw foods? i can see lunch/supper and snacks, but breakfast?? oatmeal with honey, blueberries or raspberries, cinnamon, splash of milk. scrambled eggs with veggies. cereal. those are the things i eat for breakfast..

sorry pgoat...you must eat the Cheezies in moderation ya know.. :D

ok...i'm really trying to do better at eating - will make a run to the farmer's market, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods this weekend...but, what do you eat for breakfast if you are eating raw foods? i can see lunch/supper and snacks, but breakfast?? oatmeal with honey, blueberries or raspberries, cinnamon, splash of milk. scrambled eggs with veggies. cereal. those are the things i eat for breakfast..

sorry pgoat...you must eat the Cheezies in moderation ya know.. :DTechnically oatmeal is cooked... meh, I'm not tight on the completely raw, just trying to eat more and expand my foods. A piece of fruit, handful of nuts and some tea. Apple and peanut butter (oh no! the peanuts have been roasted! ah, well.)

I miss Trader Joe's. :(

ok...i'm really trying to do better at eating - will make a run to the farmer's market, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods this weekend...but, what do you eat for breakfast if you are eating raw foods? i can see lunch/supper and snacks, but breakfast?? oatmeal with honey, blueberries or raspberries, cinnamon, splash of milk. scrambled eggs with veggies. cereal. those are the things i eat for breakfast..

sorry pgoat...you must eat the Cheezies in moderation ya know.. :D

Try draining plain (unflavored) yogurt for 12-18 hours in the fridge (use a paper coffee filter in a mesh strainer or colander). When done, it will be as thick as cream cheese and taste almost as good- draining gets rid of nearly all of the tartness. The drained whey can be used in soups. Mixed with some dried fruits (apricots and dates are my fave) and some walnuts or almonds, or with scallions and herbs, and you have a nice spread for a bagel.

You could also try PB and honey on Weetabix (TJs has them- organic ones, even). That and a dollop of nonfat cottage cheese (or the aforementioned yogurt) on a big bowl of fruit makes a very sustaining breakfast.

Try draining plain (unflavored) yogurt for 12-18 hours in the fridge (use a paper coffee filter in a mesh strainer or colander). When done, it will be as thick as cream cheese and taste almost as good- draining gets rid of nearly all of the tartness. The drained whey can be used in soups. Mixed with some dried fruits (apricots and dates are my fave) and some walnuts or almonds, or with scallions and herbs, and you have a nice spread for a bagel.

You could also try PB and honey on Weetabix (TJs has them- organic ones, even). That and a dollop of nonfat cottage cheese (or the aforementioned yogurt) on a big bowl of fruit makes a very sustaining breakfast.

Or - just cook the oatmeal, and try to eat less processed food.... (I have to admit - I don't really get the "raw" craze)

Technically oatmeal is cooked... meh, I'm not tight on the completely raw, just trying to eat more and expand my foods. A piece of fruit, handful of nuts and some tea. Apple and peanut butter (oh no! the peanuts have been roasted! ah, well.)

I miss Trader Joe's. :(

Not that it's your goal, but for anyone who's looking to go with a raw food diet, make sure you're buying nuts that haven't been roasted. Unless they specifically say "raw" on the packaging, most nuts are roasted to bring out the oils and enhance the flavour.

I took a raw foods class at PCC this summer; if anyone's interested in scans of the recipes, PM me with your email address.