Raw Pasta and Pestos

So in keeping with the raw theme that has been happening lately, I thought I'd share how you can make raw pasta. First you need to start off with a raw pesto. Here are a few recipes that I got from Cami to get you started.







Basil and Pine Nut
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to seal
2 cloves garlic
2 T pine nuts, leaves
1 soaked for 6 hrs
4 cups basil leaves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Cilantro and peanut
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to seal
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup peanuts
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 cup parsley
1 bird's eye chili, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Arugula and walnut
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to seal
2 cloves garlic
1 cup walnuts
3 cups chopped arugula (rocket, do not use wild)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Tomato and almond
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to seal
4 cloves garlic
2/3 cup unpeeled almonds, soaked overnight and peeled
1 cup diced ripe tomato
1 cup basil leaves
1 bird's eye chili, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients of your chosen pesto in a blender and season with salt and pepper (putting oil in first will help the blender do its work). Blend until as smooth or coarse as you prefer, check seasoning and transfer to a ceramic bowl or glass jar and add enough olive oil just to cover the surface. Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Use in salads, with vegetables or as a spread.

Each recipe makes about 1-2 cups.

Variation: Other nut and leaf combinations could include cashews, hazelnuts, mint or watercress.

To make the raw pasta, the most popular thing to use is zucchini. After peeling it, we make the "spaghetti" by hand using a julienne slicer but you can also use a spiral slicer. Pour a generous amount of salt into the "zucchitini", mix well, and let sit for a few minutes until zucchini is limp and spaghetti-like. Be sure to rinse all the salt out or you will ruin the dish. I am also told that another alternative is squash. For pics of another raw pasta and another recipe, check out this site. Enjoy!

Green Smoothies

Green leafy vegetables are really good for us, but we still don't tend to get enough greens in our diet. I know we eat a lot of greens in our Asian dishes and we eat salads but it's still not nearly enough. A green smoothie, however, is a great way to get a lot of greens in your diet and is full of fresh nutrients. I was introduced to green smoothies when we visited Cami, my sister-in-law in Australia, as I had previously mentioned, and she got Jeremy and I hooked on them. She drinks a whole blenderful of green smoothie for breakfast every morning. I could go on about how full they are of antioxidants, fiber, minerals & nutrients, how they give you a full day of energy and that we know people who suffered with acne for years and after 2 weeks of drinking a green smoothie a day, their skin cleared up but there are plenty of websites out there already. Just look up "green smoothie." The basic idea of the green smoothie is to blend together approximately 60% fruit and 40% greens--and you've got yourself a yummy green smoothie.

This is the recipe that Jeremy and I have been using:

juice of 3 oranges, freshly squeezed
organic kale
organic spinach/swiss chard
2 Medjool dates, seeds removed
handful of goji berries
2 T of flaxseed, ground fresh in a coffee grinder
2 large pears/ 3 small pears
2 medium to large bananas

The trick, if you have an ordinary blender like ours, is to start with the orange juice. Cut the oranges in half and then squeeze out the juice using a citrus reamer. Pour the juice into the blender. We take roughly 2-3 leaves of kale and tear the leaves off the stem and fill the blender loosely full of kale and then blend until smooth. Then we fill the blender full of spinach or swiss chard or a combination of the two and blend again. You can add a little water if it's too thick or your oranges didn't give out much juice. I usually throw in the dates, goji berries, and flaxseed once the leaves have been blended and let it blend together for 2 minutes or so to make sure the greens are blended smoothly. In the meantime, I'm cutting the pears in quarters and cutting out the seeds and stem. Then I throw in the pears and the 2 peeled bananas, blend until they're all smooth and then pour the smoothies into glasses. Jeremy and I usually split the blender and we usually end up with 1 and a half to 2 cups each. The smoothies are really very yummy and I love how green it is because it looks so fresh. I know some people have a green phobia, my brother among them, so if the green color turns you off, you could try throwing in some fresh or frozen berries--it turns the smoothie into a berry shade and you'd never know there was any spinach in there. It's a great idea for kids who won't eat their greens.

My mother and brother throw in most of the oranges (the white stuff is also good for you, especially for allergies) and my mom adds carrots as well. Just find what works for you and what fruits and greens are in season. Sprouts are especially great for you. You can put any leafy vegetable but the darker the better. We've found kale to be too thick by itself and that's why we mix it with other greens. It is also recommended that you vary your greens and not always use the same ones. Enjoy the healthy goodness of the fresh and natural!

Raw Chocolate Balls

This recipe is thanks to my sister-in-law, Cami, the raw vegan who lives in Australia with her pretty awesome family. We went down to visit her last October and I was introduced to the concept of eating raw food, a very healthy way to go. Because you're eating fresh, you get most of the enzymes that are removed from heating. Because of her, Jeremy and I have started drinking green smoothies on a daily basis. Tonight, however, I will share a simple raw dessert. Four ingredients, that's it. So simple but so good for you. Did you know that cacao powder has the highest percentage of anti-oxidants? (95,500 in 100 grams in raw cacao, 26,000 in roasted cacao and the next on the list is goji berries--25,300 in 100 grams). Can we say superfood? I didn't have raw cacao powder (processed at no higher heat than 45 degrees Celsius) on hand this time, so I used your ordinary cacao powder which has just a bit more antioxidants than goji berries. I made these for Christmas and they went quickly. Tonight, they're for my chocolate craving.

3 C shredded coconut
1 - 1 1/2 C ground almonds
1 C raw cacao powder
1 C maple syrup or agave syrup

Mix and form into balls.

And that's seriously it, folks. Enjoy this dessert, it's great for you!

Food for thought, raw meals may be the way to go for someone who's nicknamed "Sunogum Luto-um" because she's known for burning food...hmmm....