Enter the Cilantro!

Well Readers…I finally decided to try KELP NOODLES.  The package says their RAW, but I am a little skeptical about that fact…

Anyway, I decied to make a Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto for the Kelp Noodles.  More than anything I wanted 1) to know what they tasted like and 2) I didn’t want to attach any one countries cuisine to the noodle until I had tasted the noodle.

Initially these noodles are kind of chewy and crunchy in a strange sort of way.  I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.  The more they soak in whatever sauce you use, they begin to be much more like a glass noodle found in Asian Cuisine.

So here is the package of the noodles…

Here are the noodles after I rinsed them…

Since the noodles looked a bit like a Glass Noodle I borrowed the cilantro from Thai food flavors + Borrowed the Pesto / Herb Paste type of sauce from Italian Food + and a bit of Mexican with the Serrano Chili and Pumpkin Seeds = Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto.

Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1 Bunch Cilantro

1 Serrano Chili

Juice of 1 Lime

Juice of 1 Lemon

2 Cloves Garlic

8 Cherry Tomatoes, Halved

1/4 cup olive oil

1 splash toasted sesame seed oil

1 Handful of Black Sesame Seeds,

Preparation: Halve Cherry Tomatoes and set aside.  Place all ingredients, (except Black Sesame Seeds) into Food Processor and process until you have a nice fragrant paste.  Mix into noodles and add the Black Sesame Seeds. Serve on two plates and garnish with Tomatoes.

Here is the finished plate!

I added a salad on the side.  I used the sauce you see around the noodles as the dressing.

Notes: I don’t know that I will buy these noodles ever again.  However the next time I make this type of Pesto, I will use a Zucchini Noodle instead.

Sprout Update

Sunflower

The sunflower sprouts have filled the jar.  I needed to give them more space and have moved 3/4 of the jar into a colander, and left the 1/4 of the jar filled with Sunflower sprouts .

Here is the Colander filled with the other sunflower sprouts…

The next morning this is what the Sunflower sprouts looked in the jar…

And the Colander…

Radish

Lot’s more little green leaves!! Yeah! This is so exciting!!! Darker green as well.  The jar is at 3/4 of the way full! Wow!  There are some that are a really pretty red/magenta type of color.  Can you see them?  Those must be the China Rose Radish Seeds.

The next morning this is what the radish sprouts looked like! These are almost ready to eat!!!

Peas

These tails are about 2″ at this point.  The first set of leaves are forming and barely beginning to turn green.

Look at the incredible Green color that emerged in the morning!! The second set of leaves are emerging! This is wild stuff!

I will update the sprout pictures as they grow.  Tonight when I arrive home the Radish will be ready to eat.  I admit I sampled a taste and they were SPIIIICY! YUM! LOVE IT!

Thanks for reading!

Namaste!

Quantum “Cinco” Salsa a la Guaca!

This year all of the usual festivities for Cinco de Mayo were pretty much non-exsistent.  Usually people are making a big deal about the Beers and Taco Special, Margaritas and Chips, Guacamole & Salsa.  Not this year.  Maybe it is the economy, maybe it is the political issues occuring in society in regards to Mexico, who knows.

So, I thought – I will celebrate it in a very “Quantum” fashion…

quan·tum (-t)

1. A quantity or amount.

2. A specified portion.

3. Something that can be counted or measured.

So I came up with the Quantuam “Cinco” Salsa a la Guaca! giggle..giggle!

Before I give you the recipe, I will tell you a little about the genesis of this recipe, besides being silly on Cico de Mayo.

In Los Angeles you can find a Mexican Restaurant, Taco Stand (Taqueria), Taco Truck, and even a Taco Cart all over the city.  Probably in closer proximity to each other than a McDonalds is.  There are loads of different places to have Mexican Food.

There is a place called CIRO’S.  This was the first time I had a chunky guacamole.  It was much more like a heavenly bowl of chunky avocado soup!  Since then, I make a chunky style of my own.  Definitly Natural, Definitly Tasty and Definitly KICK ASS!

QUANTUM “CINCO” SALSA

Servings 2

1 Serrano Chile

1 Yellow Chili

3 Tomatillos

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 cup Cilantro

2 tbs. Mint

8 Cherry Tomatoes, Halved

2 Avocados, cubed

Preparation: Cube the Avocado and Halve the Cherry Tomatoes last.  Add all of the other ingredients to the Food Processor and process until chunky.  Be careful not to make it smooth!! Add the chuncks of Avocado and the cherry tomatoes.

SPROUT UPDATE

Sunflower Sprouts

The first 1/4 of the jar was filled with the soaked sunflower seeds.  At this point the growth of the sprouts has reached 1/2.  They are starting to show a small root structure now!   I also read that you can eat these sprouts at any point of the process.  To wait for the greens stage the sprout must be 4″ tall.

The next morning the Sunflower Sprouts looked like this…

Approx. 1 1/2 inches higher in the jar than the night before!!! This is so exciting.  I find myself thinking about my sprouts when I am at my store.

Radish Sprouts

Green Tops are showing now!   Little leaves.  These seeds are part of a general group called Brassica seeds.  There are many different types.  I will be covering them as time passes.  Initially I put 2 T of seeds in the jar.  The jar is filled about 1/3 of the way.

The next morning this is what the Radish sprouts looked like…

More Leaves!! More Sprouts! More Life!!!

Now these guys are awesome!!! They have tremendously long tails and the jar is filled about 1″ higher than the peas were when this process first started.

And in the morning even Cooler!!! Check out these peas!!!

The jar is almost full of pea sprouts at this point! The jar was filled 3/4 of the way by morning! Love and Life is BEAUTIFUL!!!

Thanks for reading! Join the GIVEAWAY! Learn about being low impact on this wonderful earth!

NEW DVD Giveaway ~ Everfresh Organic Soup!

Since the weather has been heating up here in Los Angeles there are so many signs of life!!

Cactus Blooms…

Even some wonderful birds living in the back lot of my store!! They have a baby bird learning to fly.

Here is one of the parents.  Can you see them on the corner of the lattice?…

And here is the baby.  It’s hidden within the Morning Glory.  Can you see it?…

And of course my wonderful sprouts!!!

Sprout Update – 040410 – First Rinse

Last night I rinsed the sprouts right away!! All of them showed signifigant growth!

The Radish seeds were begining to show their tails!!!

The Peas Sprouts as well!!! Blurry, I know but you can get the idea, right? Can you see the little tail???

And the Sunflower sprouts!! I am so EXCITED about these!!! If I could sing a beautiful chorus, I would!! These make me feel so happy!   All of the white you see are the sprouts busting out of the black seed! L-I-F-E!!

Here is the pack I started with.  The Avocados in the background are in the soup I made below!

Sprout Update – 050510 – Second Rinse – (Morning )

Here are the Radish sprouts in just 12 hours from the first pix! Total of 24 hours at this point!!

Here are the pea sprouts! So exciting! In just 12 hours look how much these have grown!

The same with these wonderful little guys!!! Sunflowers seeds and sprouts!!! LOVE IT!

I was blessed with some DIVINE Avocados!  A customer brought them into the store the other day.  I was so pleased!!! I put them in a paper bag immediately and they were ready a few days later…

Last night I used those avocados to make a creamy soup that would not only be cooling to the body, but refreshing to the mind.

Everfresh Avocado Citrus Soup

2 Ripe Avocados, cubed

1 peeled cucumber, deseeded and cubed

Juice of 1 Lemon

Juice of 2 Limes

Juice of 1 orange

2 tbs. Fresh Mint

1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro, tightly packed

1/2 cup RAW Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 cup water

1 splash Sesame Seed oil

2 tbs Olive Oil

Preparation: Place the avocado, cucumber and RAW pumpkin seeds into the Food Processor and process.  While it is processing, add the lemon juice, lime juice and orange juice. Open the Food processor and scrape the sides down.  Add the cilantro, mint and sesame oil.  Process again.   I added the water a little at a time, just until the soup was smooth.

Tomato Corn Relish

8 Cherry Tomatos, cut in half

Kernals from 1 ear of Corn

1 tbs. Mint, cut into strips (chiffonade style)

1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped

Preparation: Mix all ingredients together and add to the top of the soup as a garnish!

Here is Bowl #1…

Bowl #2

After dinner the soup felt really good in my stomach.  All I was missing was some LIVE crackers.  I would like to make some Kale Crackers I think.  Maybe some sun dried tomato black olive crackers… Hmmmm..

Stay tuned…

And for the next giveway!  A DVD called NO IMPACT MAN

I used this image since it describes a little of what this Documentary is about.  It changed my view of packaging, and various other issues I hadn’t really thought about.  I’m not saying he had the perfect equation,  I think he should’ve gone raw, but I think you should see it!  I am giving this away since loving the earth is one of the main reasons I am a Vegan Vegetarian Raw Yogini.  (Though I admit, I need to work on the Yogini part  LOTS MORE!! – Patience Patience there will time for EVERYTHING!

—————> To Join the Raffle <——————

1) Send me a recipe – (I am still waiting for someone to send me a recipe to try and feature…Come on! Send me a recipe!!!!)

2) Comment on any blog posting after May 1, 2010.  The last day to enter the raffle is May 30, 2010 @ Midnight.

3)Subscribe to this blog!!!

That’s it! Simple!

Thank you for reading!!

I thought I would leave you with a picture of the Master of RELAXATION!

Live in Light and Love!!

Namaste!

100% Life in a Bowl!!!

In this posting I mentioned that I began sprouting Quinoa.  I was amazed to see how long the tails were when I got home!!!  I put them in a container to make something the next night.  I have about 4 cups and used (2) cups for (2) different recipes. (I have an update picture of the Quinoa with tails about 1″ but I forgot my camera card. )

While scanning through Raw Food Uncook books and surfing the internet I have come across several Tabouli/Tabouleh salad recipes.  I have made Tabouli in the past on this blog.  You can see one I made most recently here.

Anyway, I figured that’s what I would use the sprouted Quinoa for.  I sprouted red quinoa since it was a bit more festive looking.  I will try the other quinoa next week.  I will also be updating my sprout adventures as well.  As you know a SPROUT KIT is up for raffle for the next few weeks.  I hope you will join the RAFFLE! You can see the prize here.

Sprouted Quinoa Tabouli Salad

1 cup Sprouted Red Quinoa

1 Avocado

1 Cucumber

3/4 C Parsley, chopped

3/4 C Cilantro, chopped

2 red tomatoes, chopped

Juice of one Lemon

1 capful Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup RAW golden flax seeds

1/4 cup RAW pumpkin seeds

Preparation: Place Avocado, Tomatoes, Cilantro, Parsley, and lemon juice in a large bowl and mix together.  Add Sprouted Quinoa, flax seed, and pumpkin seeds and mix.

Next I decided to try a sweet sprouted quinoa recipe I came across.  I made some changes to the original recipe.

Sprouted Quinoa Raisin Cookies

1 cup Sprouted Quinoa

1 cup Raisins

1 cup pecans

1/4 cup Agave

2 T RAW Cocoa Powder

Preparation:  Place Pecans in Food Processor and process until the consistency of a fine meal.  Then add Quinoa and process.  After the quinoa and pecans have processed together, add raw agave slowly to the mixture while the food processor is on.  You may have to slow down the processor if possible.  I went from high to low while adding the agave. Place this mixture in a bowl and add cocoa powder and raisins to the mix.  Place a spoonful of “dough” onto teflex sheet.  Dehydrate for 3 hrs @ 105 degrees.  Remove Teflex sheet and dehydrate another 7 hrs or until pliable and dry.

These cookies are really good!!!  I think I will add some nuts and some golden flax seeds the next time.  But I really liked them.  I don’t usually like cookies eiether.  I was a big danish person prior and I am coping fine.  Maybe I will fall in love with RAW COOKIES???

Thanks for reading!!!

Namaste!

JOIN THE RAFFLE!!!  ADD FRESH SPROUTS TO YOUR DIET!!!

60% – 70% Protein!!!!

(Protein also, in Green Algae!!)

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?….COSMO G!

COSMO G

Cosmo G first appeared to me while I was making notes and doing some food history research.

I had come across a technique called:

supreme

v. to remove the skin, pith, membranes, and seeds of a citrus fruit and separate its wedges. Also as noun, a wedge of citrus fruit. (in French it is Suprême)

It looked pretty easy so I figured with all of this California rain why not do something with oranges.  There have been lots and lots of Organic Oranges around since they are in season.  I have also been blessed with some tangerines, grapefruits and lemons from locals in the area.

With this in mind I segmented 3 large oranges and 3 grapefruits.

Orange Suprêmes…

Grapefruit Suprêmes…

I decided this would become Cilantro & Orange Salad with Mint, Olives and Grapefruit! And all at once Cosmo G was born.  I think I will include this recipe for a Raw Tasting party I would like to host.

COSMO G

3 Oranges, Supremed

1 small Grapefruit – (*Please see note!)

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 cup Raw Pine Nuts

1 cup Raw Olives Chopped

Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil

2 Drops Bergamot Essential Oil

Preparation: Combine the oranges, cilantro, pine nuts, and parsley in a large bowl.  In a seperate bowl combine grapefruit, olives, and mint.  Allow each bowl to marinate for 15 – 20 minutes.  Combine the two and sprinkle with olive oil.  Allow this to marinate for another 20 minutes. * (The Grapefruits I used were extremly PITHY.  There was such a small amount of fruit that I ended up with approximately 2 Tbs.)

Here is the Cilantro, Parsley, Pine Nuts and Orange Suprême…

Grapefruit Suprême, Olives, and Mint…

I decided to go with an Italian themed meal.  I set about looking around at the veggies I had.  Eggplant (Aubergine) was the winner.  I had received 2 wonderful Eggplants last week from a client and felt this was the best time to use them.  It is nice when I am able to use vegetables that are grown locally and given as gifts!

I decided I would make some sort of Eggplant Noodle and an Al’Arrabiata sauce.  Nice and Spicy is what I needed last night.  I needed to refuel my fire with some spice.  It was really chilly last night and I was so cold when I got home.  I kicked on the Dehydrator for the first time in a long time.  I figured I would have a warm “Raw Pasta” dish and a nice refreshing salad.

I used my Cai Bao to make a Tagletelle type of noodle out of the eggplant.  I drizzled them with olive oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and a little Nama Shoyu.  I placed them in the Dehydrator for 1 hr at 115 Degrees.

Meanwhile, I made…

RAW ARRABIATA SAUCE

3 Chopped Roma Tomatoes

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Handful Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped

8 Sun Dried Tomatoes

1 Tbl. Cayenne

1 Tbl. Red Pepper Flakes

3 tsp. Nama Shoyu

Preparation: Process 2 Romas, Parsley, Sundried tomatoes and garlic in Food Processor with “S” Blade.  Combine the ingredients just processes in a bowl with the remaining Roma tomato and mix in the spices.  Place bowl in the Dehydrator at 115 Degrees for 1/2 hour.  When both are just warm to the touch combine and serve.

Arrabiata Sauce out with the Romas before the Dehydrator..

Nice and rich looking out of the Dehydrator…

Everything on one plate…

And another…

This was a really good combo in terms of taste!  Sweet & Fresh with a hint of salt from the olives and the wonderful spice from the red sauce on top of the marinated Eggplant Noodles! Delicious.  A definite winner for the tasting menu!

Thanks for stopping by!

Namaste!

HAVE YOU ENTERED THE RAFFLE YET?  ENTER BEFORE

MARCH 27, 2010 AND YOU COULD WIN THE DVD

“RAW FOR 30 DAYS”

SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG OR LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT ANY POSTING AND YOU ARE ENTERED!  JUST LIKE THAT!

Mango Salad Adventures – Part III & FREE GIVEAWAY!

Thank you to all who have entered the raffle!

If you haven’t joined please find all the details here!

One of the most beautiful things in life is the experience of our senses.

Feeling water on your skin in the shower, the releif felt when you are sitting and are lucky enough to have someone rubbing your feet, sitting and relaxing in the comfort of your home enjoying a really good movie, book or the scent of beautiful food being prepared in the kitchen….

Life can be a beautiful experience.  It can also be a bit of a challenge at times as well.  Just remember to breathe, stay in the moment and accept that nothing except PURE LOVE lasts forever! (I don’t necessarily mean man and woman love either. PURE LOVE IS PURE LOVE!) 

I looked over all of my recipes I keep in a notebook and saw the last recipe I had been working on was a Vietnamese Mango Salad.  It was a nice switch in heat than the previous night.  I also made a RAW SOUP recipe I had been working on!

Here we go…

RAW CO/CONUT & AVOCADO SOUP

1/2 of the flesh of one coconut

Water from one Coconut

2 4″ pieces Lemongrass

2 tbs. fresh mint

1 Large Avocado

4 cloves Garlic

1 Handful Cilantro, chopped

1 Seranno Chile

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

1 tbs White Miso

Preparation: Place coconut water, lemongrass, mint, and 2 cloves of garlic into food processor.  Process with the “S” blade until it is uniformly as smooth as possible.  Using a nut bag, muslin fabric, or strainer – Strain liquid.  Set the pulp aside.  Place the broth back into the food processor and add the avocado, lime and lemon juice, miso, cilantro, remaining garlic, and serrano chile.  Process.

VIETNAMESE MANGO SALAD

1/2 cup lime juice (Approximately 4-6 limes)

1 tbs.  Raw Agave Syrup

1 tbl. Fresh Ginger cut into matchstick strips

1 tbl. Sesame Oil

1 Small Shallot, minced

1 Serrano Chile, minced

1 tbl. Raw Sesame Seeds

1 Handful Mint, chopped

1 Handful Cilantro, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/3 cup Sake

1 Ripe Mango, Sliced

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a bowl except the mango.  (Allow to sit about 1/2 hour) Slice Mango and allow to marinate another 15 minutes.  Take out Mango slices and set aside.  Save remaining dressing for the next recipe.

NOTE: I made a sort of Cucumber, Cilantro relish with the rest of the dressing to put on top of the soup.  The texture of the relish went really nice with the creaminess of the soup.  It is included after the mango salad since you will be using the dressing. Also, I made the dressing, then made the soup above, then sliced the mango, etc.)

CUCUMBER RELISH

1 Cucumber, peeled and cubed

1 Handful Fresh Cilantro, roughly chopped

1 Handful Fresh Mint, roughly chopped

Preparation:  Place all ingredients into remaining dressing from Mango Salad.  Allow to marinate 15 minutes and place on top of soup.

Thanks for stopping by!

Live in Light & Love!

Namaste!

Mango Salad Adventures – Part II & FREE GIVEAWAY!

FREE GIVEAWAY!!!

Raw for 30 Days DVD!!!

All you have to do to enter the raffle is leave a comment and/or subscribe to this blog!  (Pretty easy, huh?) I will draw the lucky name on March 27, 2010!!!

Now let’s get to those wonderful mangos!

Last night I began making a spicy powdered mixture for the Ripe Mangos I received from the universe.  I figured that was the best thing to do.

Initially I was going to go with an Japanese theme for dinner last night, however I ended up on an Indian note. I’ll explain…

There is a spice mixture used in Japanese cuisine called “Shichimi Togarashi”.  The ingredients are dried chilies, black peppercorns, tangerine peel, black sesame seeds, minced garlic, and white poppy seeds.

As I looked around my spice cabinet I realized that my memory had failed me once again…No white poppy seeds, and I was also missing  few of the other ingredients.  I went with all of the new indian spices I had purchased at India Sweet & Spice.

This is the mixture I made:

2 tbs.  red kashmiri dried chilis

1 tbs. tangerine peel

1 tbs. lemmon peel

1 drop organic lemon essential oil

1 drop organic orange essential oil

3 garlic cloves

2 tsp. nori

2 tsp. black sesame seeds

2 tsp raw hemp seeds

Preparation: Grind all ingredients and put in a small airtight dish to save.  This will make approximately 1/8 of a cup.

Next…

I cut the mangos into slices and placed them in a large bowl.  I added 1 large scoop of the spice mixture I had just made.

As I was experimenting with my next dish to serve with dinner last night I came up with a RAW BIRYANI RICE recipe!

What is Biryani? Biryani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) (بریان) which means “fried” or “roasted”.

Biryani was brought to the Indian Subcontinent by Muslim travelers and merchants. Local variants of this dish are not only popular in South Asia but also in Arabia and within various South Asian communities in Western countries.

The spices and continents used in biryani may include but are not limited to: peas, beans, cumin, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander and mint leaves, ginger, onions, and garlic. The premium varieties include saffron.

The difference between biryani and pullao is that while pullao may be made by cooking the items together, biryani is used to denote a dish where the rice (plain or fried) is cooked separately from the thick sauce (curry of Meat or vegetables). The curry and the rice are then brought together and layered resulting in a dish of the contrasting flavours of unflavored rice(which has a hint of the aromas and juices of the curry) and intensely flavored sauce and meat or vegetables. (Wikipedia)

RAW BIRYANI RICE

1 Large Parsnip

5 Sund Dried Tomatoes

2 tbls Spicy Sambar Masala

1 tsp Tumeric

1 tbl. Cumin

1 Handful Fresh Cilantro

1 Large Handful Raisins

3-4 Cloves Garlic

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 cup peas

Preparation:  Peel and chop parsnip.  Place the parsnip in Food Processor with “S” blade and process until it resembles rice.  Place in a bowl and set aside.  Place all other ingredients into the food processor.  It should be a very chunky and be extremly fragrant!!!! YUM!

Here is the Parsnip Rice…

The spice mixture before the rice…

Everything all mixed up and redy to serve…

Here is the final presentation…

I added the peas last, since I didn’t want them to get squished while I was mixing in the spice mixture into the parsnip rice.

My taste tester was quite pleased with this meal I must say!!!  He said he could smell the mangos and chili mixture from the kitchen while he was relaxing in the living room.  Very excited about this dish!  I will definitly be making this again!

Thanks for visiting my blog and don’t forget to ENTER THE RAFFLE!!!

Namaste!

RAW Vegan Makizushi & FREE GIVEAWAY

I have seen people make sushi online and on cooking shows for years.  Never before would I have thought of making it myself – until now!

These past few postings have been quite inspiring culinary wise.  Last night I decided to try a few things I had been wanting to incorporate into a  meal.

I wanted to eat some nori since that was the next seaweed on my list for a meal. (Hijiki is coming…) I also wanted to try Jicama rice.  I had noticed this interesting recipe in the RAW FOOD REAL WORLD Cookbook.  And last but not least, I was craving some ginger in my food.

So Makizushi came into the mix last night!

Makizushi (lit. rolled sushi) or makimono (lit. variety of rolls) is cylindrical piece, formed with the help of a bamboo mat, called a makisu. Makizushi is generally wrapped in nori, but can occasionally be found wrapped in a thin omelette, soy paper, cucumber, or parsley. Makizushi is usually cut into six or eight pieces, which constitutes a single roll order. Below is a RAW FOOD RECIPE I came up with last night.

Jicama Rice

1 Lg Jicama

Preparation:  Chop Jicama into cubes and place in food processor with the “S” blade attachment.  Pulse into granular appearance.  Using cheese cloth, a nutbag or muslin squeeze all the excess water out of the jicama.

This is what it looks like after you squeeze the moisture out of it…

After that I chopped up some carrots and cucumbers…

Marinated some mushrooms…

5 small white button -or- cremini mushrooms

1/8 cup nama shoyu

1 small knob ginger, sliced into small matchsticks

3 tbs sesame oil

4 tbs olive oil

2 tbs rice vinegar

Preparation: Slice mushrooms very thinly.  Combine ginger, sesame oil, olive oil and nama shoyu in a small bowl.  Place mushrooms in marinade for 30+ minutes.

I spread the rice mixture onto a Nori sheet and topped the jicama rice with the vegetables, then mushrooms, avocado and cilantro.

Here was my first try…

To the right in an orange container is the water I was able to extract from the jicama.

Here is a close up…

This ended up being 11 oz of liquid!  It looked just like milk.  I saved this “water” and I am thinking of what to do with it.  Maybe make some sort of soup.  Depends on how it tastes…I’ll find out tonight.

Here are the sushi rolls cut and plated…

Overall this was a nice dinner.  I served a salad on the side.  My taste tester was quite happy with his meal!

GIVEAWAY!

Enter to win a free set of sushi rolling mats!

Subscribe to the blog or leave a comment with an email address.  I will draw the lucky name March 6, 2010.

Thanks for visiting!

Namaste!

Crudo, Carpaccio & Ceviche

Last nights meal!

Do you see the “888″ ?

On the menu was:

Crudo

In Italian cuisine, Crudo is a raw fish dish dressed with olive oil, sea salt, and citrus juice such as lemon juice and sometimes vinegar.  You don’t need to follow a recipe for crudo as it is very much ingredient-driven.  Crudo is about finding the best ingredients available and letting their flavors shine. The combinations are endless. Even in the RAW REALM!

2 small grapefruits

1/2 small avocado, sliced very thin

3 T  Cilantro, chopped

2 T Olive Oil

2 T vinegar

Juice of 1 Meyer Lemon

Preparation: To cut the grapefruit:Remove about a 1/2″ or so slice from the top and bottom. Resting on the bottom, make four vertical cuts to produce a rough cube, removing all of the skin and pith. Now slice vertically into 1/3″ thick slabs, avoiding the core. If you get just a little bit of core you can put that side down on the plate. Slicing grapefruit this way produces a lot of waste material. I think I got about 5-6 useable slices from a single fruit. Place the grapefruit slices on the plate.  In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, vinegar and oregano.  Using a spoon drizzle mixture over the grapefruit slices, slice avocado very thinly and place on top of the grapefruit.  Drizzle with dressing again.  Top with fresh cracked pepper.

Carpaccio

Italian in origin, carpaccio consists of thin shavings of raw beef fillet which may be drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice or served with a mayonnaise or mustard sauce. The dish is often topped with capers and sometimes onions. It’s generally served as an appetizer. However when you are a vegan/vegetarian/raw foodie, this is usually any fruit or vegetable shaved/sliced thinly!

1 Zucchini

1 yellow squash

3 T Sake

1 T Apple Cider Vinegar

2 T Olive Oil

1 Meyer Lemon

2 T Cilantro

2 T Oregano

Fleur de Sal

Fresh Cracked Pepper

Preparation:  Slice the yellow squash and zucchini very thin.  I usually use my Cai Bao. (For information regarding this tool you can see the posting here.)  In a small bowl mix all the other ingredients listed.  Place zucchini onto plate, sprinkle with fleur de sal and drizzle dressing over the zucchini.  On top of the zucchini layer the yellow squash and repeat the process until all of the squash is marinating.  Allow to marinate for approximately 20 minutes.  (Overnight in the fridge if you have time.)

Ceviche

An appetizer popular in Latin America consisting of raw fish marinated in citrus (usually lime) juice. The action of the acid in the lime juice “cooks” the fish, thereby firming the flesh and turning it opaque. Onions, tomatoes and green peppers are often added to the marinade. Can be spelled seviche (which is also spelled ceviche and cebiche) depending on the region.

1 Cucumber

1/2 of a Jicama

2 mini sweet peppers

1 small jalepeno, sliced into rings

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

3 radishes

1 handful chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 Lime

Juice of 1 Meyer Lemon

2 T Rice Vinegar

2 T Olive Oil

Preparation: Slice the cucumber and jicama into matchsticks.  Slice the mushrooms and radishes very thin.  Cut the mini sweet peppers and jalepenos into small rings.  Chop the cilantro.  Place all vegetable ingredients in bowl.  Squeeze the lemon and lime into the bowl.  Add the venegar and olive oil.  Toss the vegetables around and allow to marinate.

2nd plating

I think you can see the avocado a bit better in the picture all the way at the top.  The Crudo had acid + creamy + cilantro + spices = A Delicious RAW apertif!

All of the other dishes were quite refreshing to the palate.  They seemed perfect for a summer meal or the first course of a RAW FOOD TASTING menu I am working on! (More details on that later!)

Thank you for visiting!

Namaste!