The Raw Truth


I have a secret to tell you guys.  I'm obsessing about raw food ever since Friday night at our friend Chaya and Roger's dinner party.  I can't get it out of my head.  And then on Sunday my friend and neighbor Lisa gave me a book she happened to have laying around in her house, The Raw Foods Detox Diet.  Is that a sign?

I used to think "raw foods" meant that you ate carrots, celery and apples all day.  Boy, was I stupid.  There is a whole world of creative, delicious and oh-so-healthy recipes out there. Just do a google search for "raw food recipes."

So I found a recipe this morning for a raw broccoli salad and "cooked" it when I got home tonight, adapting the recipe to my needs (less oil and more servings).  http://allthingsnice.typepad.com/tastebuddies/2008/06/raw-broccoli-sa.html  It required an extensive amount of chopping, which I needed because I didn't get a workout in today.  It was wonderfully crunchy, lemony and salty--a perfect balance of flavors and texture.

Raw Broccoli Salad Recipe
(Serves 8)

8 cups of chopped broccoli
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup of finely minced cilantro
2.5 tsp of cumin seeds
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 3 lemons
1 1/2 tsp of sea salt, or if you have it, flor de sal

1.Wash and finely chop the broccoli, several florets at a time (do not use a food processor or broccoli will get mushy). Include 1 garlic clove in the chopping. Chop for another minute and then add the second clove. Keep chopping until the broccoli is a similar size to that in the picture -- 1/2cm to 1cm pieces.
2.Place the broccoli into a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and then mix well with a metal spoon. Cover and let the broccoli sit in the fridge for one hour.
3.Serve with accompanying meal of chicken, seafood or on its own.

There are a few local raw food pot lucks coming up in the next few weeks and I am itching to go with my new friend and raw foodist Toby, the organic vegetable share supplier.  But please, keep this our little secret!

0 comments:

Post a Comment