Two Tomato Tartare with Green Relish
Tomatoes may be one of the most commonly used fruits in the world. I certainly have no problem listing the multitude of meals that include them… If this were a game, I could go on indefinitely. And, on top of it, there’s ketchup – pretty high on the list of favorite condiments (although I think it’s been surpassed by salsa in recent years). However there’s not a much more elegantly uncommon yet satisfying dish than this beautiful tomato tartare sitting in its private pool of basil pesto. It’s almost too pretty to eat. But seriously, you’ve just got to break down and dig in. It’s like sand art; impermanence and…
Green Mango Salad with Thai Basil and Chile Mango Dressing
Green papaya salad has always been one of my favorite meals, even before I went to Thailand and ate it in it’s land of origin. But green papaya isn’t always easy to find around here. Luckily, green mango is an excellent substitution and it seems to be all over the place. In fact, sometimes it’s harder to find a readily ripe mango than it is to find a firm, green one at any given grocery store. This mango salad uses both ripe and green mango and what may seem like an odd smattering of yellow squash. The combination is exotic and delicious and something the whole family will love. That…
Blood Orange & Black Cherry Couscous
Summer fruits and light and fluffy couscous makes for a delicious salad.
Raw Forbidden Rice Salad
Finding forbidden rice feels like such a coup. Becuse it’s really the only rice out there that you don’t have soak and sprout for days in order to enjoy it raw. Considered a blood tonic by the ancient Chinese, forbidden rice has a higher protein and fiber content than any other rice. It’s very healthy! These health benefits combined with the fact that it’s a low yield rice -yeilding only 10 percent of what other types of rice do – made it highly prized. It was once reserved just for the emperor to ensure his health and longevity. Everyone else was forbidden to consume it. We are so lucky that’s…
Carrots and Onions and Peppers, Oh My! Salad
I’ve learned that my absolute favorite part of eating raw is not having to cook. I have a deep dislike for the time that cooking takes. Besides the heat of the oven, there’s the absurd amount of times I’ve burned myself with bacon grease. And the red-hot burner of the oven has done me no favors. I have the scars on my hands to prove it! But I love to chop vegetables and to garnish food. The raw lifestyle has essentially created the ideal food prep environment for me: everything I like to do, with no hot stoves. This salad is no exception. Plus, it was a wonderful symphony of…
Broccoli Carrot Slaw With Sweet and Spicy Tahini
Broccoli is an anti-oxidant rich powerhouse that supports healthy cells throughout the body. Plus it tastes good and it’s one of those healthy veggies that even most kids don’t turn up their noses at. That makes it a go-to in my house at all times! Broccoli at the Fairgrounds… The very first time I really made this recipe was years ago when I joined forces with three other raw afficionados to set up a booth for a fair in Santa Fe, NM, where I live. I honestly don’t know where our heads were. Somehow we believed that we could successfully bring raw food into the fairground! As if…! The moment…
Jammy Fruit Salad with Arugula
My son loves fruit but when it comes to condiments, he’s really not much of a fan. He never even liked sauces, never mind salad dressings. From the beginning that became a challenge. Because, let’s face it, salad dressing is kind of like ‘clothes for greens’. (I guess that’s why they call it ‘dressing’ in the first place). It gives it that little extra ‘oomph’ that takes it over the top and helps to accentuate the flavor of everything that touches it. I mean, even I don’t think it’s that much of a thrill to eat a bunch of lettuce completely dry. And salad is -hands down – my favorite…
Orange Pomegranate Salad With Mango Chia Dressing
This colorful summer salad replete with oranges and pomegranate seeds, gets big points in my book. Not only is it delicious and refreshing on these warm days but its so damn pretty too! The pomegranate has so many health benefits, it’s ridiculous! It’s cancer fighting, a potent anti-inflammatory and its anti-oxidant levels are three times higher than they are in red wine or green tea. The list just goes on. If you’ve got a guy at home who’s having some problems in the bedroom, pomegranate is good for that too; it’s been linked to improvements with erectile dysfunction. Suffice to say: pomegranate is a fabulous fruit to include in your diet…
Jicama and Hemp Seed Tabouleh
I had a craving for tabbouleh but all the recipes I kept coming across use cauliflower as the main ingredient. It’s like once they figured out that cauliflower made a great raw rice they started using it for everything! Cauliflower is great and all but I believe in mixing things up a little bit. Besides I’ve got some die-hard anti-cauliflower vigilantes around here who are just not having it! If I’m ‘un-cooking’ for the masses I need to get crafty. So I used jicama instead. You do have to chop it with a little more effort than the average cauliflower head, but it rices up real nice and everyone loves…
Cucumber, Tomato and Sprout Salad With Spinach Tahini Dressing
I love cucumber and tomato – and sprouts are always amazing -but sometimes it’s all about the dressing! This is my all-time favorite and was, essentially, born of a desire to incorporate raw tahini into as many things as possible. Certainly, spinach is an excellent choice for the dressing but alternate light, flavorful greens can be used: arugula is great… especially the wild, spicy kind that I am fortunate enough to already have growing in my garden. Likewise, basil can be tasty as well. Experiment with your favorites and you’re sure to find winners! But stay away from kale and collards. Maybe I’m kale crazy but this is one recipe…
