Today a vibrant group gathered at Davina Sandground's house to talk about the benefits of raw food, make raw food and of course eat. Davina identified a number of foods that are important in a raw diet and we un-cooked most of the foods on her list.
This is what we ate– my hope is that these recipes will act as starting points for experimentation... feel free to adjust to your personal taste and make sure to incorporate best available and seasonal ingredients.
Davina's Green Juice
kale, celery, cucumber and apple
Morning Smoothie
1/4 teaspoon chlorella, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tablespoon stinging nettles, 1 young coconut (meat and water), 1/4 cup strawberries and blackberries, 1 teaspoon macca, 1 date
Blend in a high speed blender until smooth, taste and adjust any ingredients. Serve immediately
Chia with Nut Milk Figs and Cocoa Nibs
1/4 cup raw almonds, 1/4 cup raw cashews, sea salt, 1/2 cup chia seeds, fresh figs sliced, cocoa nibs
nut milk– in a high speed blender combine almonds, cashews, 3 cup filtered water and a pinch sea salt process until totally smooth. Extra will keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 days.
In a large bowl combine chia seeds and 1 1/2 cups nut milk, stir thoroughly, top with fresh figs, and raw cocoa nibs
Cucumber with Hemp Seed Dip
1/2 cup hemp seeds, pinch of cayenne, 1 teaspoon peeled and rough chopped ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nama shoya, 1/4 teaspoon raw honey, pinch salt
In a food processor combine the hemp seeds, cayenne, ginger, nama shoya, honey and salt. Process until thoroughly combined. Slowly add water 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture is a good dipping consistency. Serve with fresh cucumber slices.
Beet Spaghetti, Tomato, Olive Oil, Olives, Pine Nuts, Basil and Oregano
Beets grated or turned on a Benriner Japanese Vegetable Turner, small tomatoes cut in half, pitted raw olives, raw pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper, chopped basil and oregano. Combine in a large bowl, taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Chill or serve immediately.
Fermented Cabbage, Radish and Asian Pear
1 head cabbage– core removed cut into quarters and each quarter cut into 3 pieces, 1/3 cup of salt dissolved in 1 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped ginger, 1 asian pear thinly sliced, ½ cup finely sliced radish, cayenne to taste, 2-6 cloves of garlic finely chopped, 1 teaspoon honey
Place cabbage in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Cover with salt water mixture and mix thoroughly. Weigh the mixture down with a stack of plates so the cabbage will be submerged in the liquid and let sit for 2-4 hours until the cabbage is slightly wilted.
Rinse cabbage thoroughly and drain. Return cabbage to a large non-reactive bowl and thoroughly mix in ginger, pear, radish, cayenne, garlic and honey. Again weigh mixture down with plates and let sit at room temperature until the mixture starts to bubble a bit around the sides, this will take from 24-78 hours. Once mixture starts to bubble transfer to mason jars and refrigerate. This will last for at least a month in your refrigerator.
Fennel with Avocado, Sprouted Quinoa and Pea Shoots
1 cup quinoa, 1 head fennel finely sliced, 1 avocado sliced, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cups pea shoots or water cress, salt and pepper to taste
Sprouted Quinoa– Place quinoa in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit at room temperature for 4 hours. drain and rinse quinoa and transfer to a sheet tray. Cover with parchment paper and let sit for about 8 hours or until there are small sprouts on the quinoa. Continue with making the salad or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Salad– In a large bowl combine the quinoa, fennel, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, greens, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Jicama with Pistachio and Pomegranate
1 jicama cut into 8 pieces, 1/2 cup raw pistachios, seeds from 1 pomegranate, 1/2 cup fresh curly parsley roughly chopped, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste
Place jicama in a food processor and pulse on and off until the jicama is in small rice kernel sized pieces. Transfer jicama to a large bowl and combine with pistachio, pomegranate, parsley, olive oil, vinegar salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Frozen Coconut, Macadamia and Aloe with Paw Paw and Golden Raspberries
2 cups macadamia nuts soaked in water for 6 hours, 2 cups young coconut meat, ½ cup young coconut water, 1/4 cup aloe vera gel, ¼ cup coconut butter, raw honey to taste, ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
Combine the nuts, coconut meat and water, aloe, coconut butter, honey and salt in a hight speed blender and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Freeze in an ice cream maker. Top with fruit (we ate paw paw and golden raspberries) and some roughly chopped macadamia nuts.
Sesame Macaroons