Raw 'Cook'books

Madame Fromage has requested a list of my favorite raw 'cook'books. Here they are in no particular order;

1) Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet - Jennifer has easy to follow recipes that are perfect for a couple, they don't make a lot of food but if you love something and want to share then you can easily double the recipe. Jennifer also has modifications for many recipes so you can enjoy variations on a dish and discover your own favorite.

2) Victoria Beutenko is a raw food activist who healed her entire family of sickness (including her son's diabetes) through a raw food diet. Her first book "12 steps to Going Raw" is not really a cookbook but it has great insight into the reasons to adopt a raw food lifestyle, or at least incorporate more raw foods into your diet. Her book "Green For Life" explores the health benefits of drinking a quart of green smoothies everyday and lists many recipes.

3) Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen - Alissa has more complex recipes for the more adventurous, such as raw ravioli and raw lasagna, but all are yummy and very satisfying. We went to her restaurant Grezzo in Boston over the weekend. I'll write about that visit soon.

4) The Art of Raw Living by Jenny Ross - Jenny is the Owner/Chef of 118 degrees in Costa Mesa, CA. It is by far our favorite raw food restaurant that we have yet visited. Her recipes run the gamut from appetizers through desserts so you could do a three or four course meal completely raw. And her ice cream recipes do not need an ice cream maker. But I highly recommend that if you love ice cream your own maker would be well worth the investment.

5) Vice Creams by by Jeff Rogers is a raw and vegan ice cream book. No dairy in any of these recipes and of course most are raw and yummy. And you will need an ice cream maker for these. One thing about raw ice cream. It will not freeze the same as regular ice cream, no preservatives or chemicals to maintain its consistency. If you don't eat all of it when it's made and want to save it that's fine, just take it from the freezer about 15 minutes before you want to serve, this will allow it to thaw so as to be more easily scooped.

6) The Raw 50 by Carol Alt - Yes, I know, another celebrity fad diet book. NO! Carol has been a raw foodist for many years and believes in the benefits of a raw food lifestyle. The book helps you outfit your kitchen and your pantry to embark on a raw food adventure. The recipes are easy and fun to follow, perfect for raw beginners.

7) Raw Foods for Busy People by Jordan Maerin - Exactly what it sounds like. A Raw food cookbook for most of us. Busy lives mean coffee and bagels, drive thru's and microwaves. But this book gets you started on raw foods that will fit into your on the go schedule.

For further reading; The China Study by T. Colin Campbell PhD and Thomas M. Campbell - The most comprehensive study of the Standard American Diet and it's health ramifications for all of us. We are all slowly committing suicide with the food we eat. This book explains why. I also recommend books by Matt Monarch one of the most active lecturers on the raw food circuit and his wife Angela Stokes-Monarch. Angela lost over 160 pounds by going raw and was featured on CNN in a story about the raw food movement.
I hope these help.

Enjoy and Be Healthy

Thanksgiving Rawpple pie

Hey everyone, just wanted to update you on a new twist to the rawpple pie. On Thanksgiving my Mother-in-Law had some raspberries so I tossed them into the mix. I replaced one of the sliced apples with a cup of frozen raspberries. Using frozen ones helps them stay in one piece. This mixture I let sit in the refrigerator overnight then brought to room temp in the oven the next day. The raspberries brought a wonderful new tanginess and sweetness to the pie. Definitely going to do this from now on.
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and I'll be back soon with more raw sweets.

Enjoy and be healthy!

Rawpple Pie

Raw Apple Pie, or as we like to call it Rawpple Pie. I got this recipe from one of our favorite raw foods book; "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People" by Jennifer Cornbleet. Jennifer's book is full of easy to make recipe's that don't require a lot of equipment. Just the usual stuff the average person will have in their kitchen. If there's something you don't have but won't, or can't, invest in a new appliance, I'm sure a friend or family member will have one you can borrow, just make sure you share some of your tasty goodness. You can also get a companion DVD where Jennifer shows you how to make some of her favorite dishes.

We love the rawpple pie because it uses the best part of a traditional apple pie, the apples! Sweet, juicy delicious apples. The combination of apples, dates and raisins (and a dash of cinnamon) do not leave you lacking for sweetness. Now, on to the good stuff. We love this because it is a sweet dessert with a crust that still has a buttery flavor, that's due to the salt. The sliced apples stay crunchy in the filling that literally melts in your mouth. No butter, oil or eggs to weigh you down after you eat it either. And if you must have it ala mode stay tuned for some of my raw ice cream recipe's, yes, you can make raw ice cream.

Granted, I have never made a traditional apple pie from scratch so I can't tell you how long it takes, but I can tell you this pie took me less than 45 minutes to make. The only machinery needed was a food processor. I will admit, the crust took me a few times to get down, but after a few mishaps I got it. My only recommendation, as far as any modifications would be, is to drain the apple slices of the lemon juice you soak them in, this will make for a less soggy crust when you eat the rawpple pie over the next couple of days. And let me tell you, rawpple pie is best after a couple of days. Also, Jennifer says to peel the aples, I don't, I like the peel, but that's just me.

Now for the recipe;

Walnut Crust-
Makes 3 cups for a 9 inch pie or tart pan

2 cups raw walnuts, unsoaked
1 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates, unsoaked (if you can't find medjool you may use another kind of date, but medjool are the best)

Place walnuts, coconut and salt in food processor fitted with the S blade and process until finely ground. Add dates and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs and sticks together. A good test is to pinch a little between your index finger and thumb, if the mixture sticks then you're good to go. Do not over process. If you're not using the mixture right away place in a sealed container for up to one month in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.
If you're ready to go then pour mixture evenly into a 9 inch pie or tart pan. Use a light circular motion with your palm and fingers to distribute the crumbs uniformly along the bottom and sides of the pan. There should be a 3/4 inch lip of crumbs along the sides. After the crumbs are evenly distributed press down with your palm on the bottom of the pan, be sure to press firmly where the bottom meets the sides of the pan. Press the crust against the pan's sides, shaping it so that the edges are flush to the rim. Place crust in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Rawpple filling-
Makes 8 servings for one 9 inch pie or tart pan

2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Medjool dates, soaked (When soaking dates and raisins I usually soak them for around 30 minutes so this would be a good step to do at the beginning)
1/2 cup raisins, soaked
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Toss the sliced apples with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and set aside (This is what I recommend you drain before adding to the filling). Place chopped apples, dates, raisins, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the cinnamon into the food processor fitted with the S blade and process until smooth. Remove from processor and add to the sliced apples.
Remove crust from the freezer and pour filling into the crust. Flatten down with a spatula. To bring it to room temperature I place in a slow oven. Simply preheat oven to 200 degrees. When oven is hot turn it off and place pie inside. Leave pie in oven for about 15 minutes. I like to sprinkle some more cinnamon on top and then serve.

To keep just cover and refrigerate. Pie should keep for a week or so, but I doubt it'll last that long. Marina and I have found rawpple pie also makes a great breakfast.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do, if you have any questions please e-mail me and I'll do my best to assist.

Enjoy and be healthy!

No more detox

It would seem beginning a detox with a water fast when you are addicted to the SAD is considerably difficult. Marina and I tried but it was just too hard. Especially for me given that I am addicted to caffeine so without my morning coffee I am useless. Add to that Marina is still sick and I think you have a recipe for a bad water fast. We didn't break it with pizza or burgers, we had a nice healthy lunch and a good dinner. I did go to the store and buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I also made an apple pie that I will review for you next. Get ready for a yummy dessert that is remarkably easy to make.

Enjoy and be Healthy

7 Day Detox

On November 15 Marina and I will begin a 7 day detox. It will begin a with a 24-hour water fast ending that night with a mono fruit meal. (And no that does not mononucleosis for those who want to ask.) The rest of the week will consist of small meals made up of either all fruit or all uncooked vegetables, with lots of water drinking in between. I will blog every day, hopefully, about what we've eaten, how much I weigh and how I'm feeling.
Join me on this first step of our journey to getting healthier, becoming cleaner and being happier for many years to come.

Enjoy and be healthy

Welcome to Raw Muffin

I will not bore you with all the details of enjoying a raw food lifestyle. I can, and will, direct you to those who are more knowledgable than I am to give you more information about raw food and the lifestyle. Many raw foodists will call this a 'diet' because that is the term most people are familiar with. I call it a lifestyle, because if you want to lose weight and improve your overall health diets just don't work unless you stay on them. At that point it's no longer a diet, it's a lifestyle. This is a lifestyle my wife and I have tried to incorporate into our lives for the last 2 years. Like many Americans on the Standard American Diet (SAD) we have not been 100% successful, yet. But we are taking steps to improve our lifestyle and eat better. We have started with desserts. Who doesn't like dessert? Chocolates, ice cream, pies, cookies and cakes. Who doesn't feel better after having dessert? But, who feels good weighing yourself after dessert? Exactly! Well, we have discovered so many wonderful recipes that use fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts and seeds to make wonderful desserts. Most ingredients can be found at your local supermarket, but for some you may need to visit a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or other specialty store that sells organic and raw food items. You can also order ingredients from various websites that you will be able to link to from here.
I will regularly post recipes for desserts and write about them. Whenever possible I will also provide a link to the individual who provided the recipe. I will blog about my progress in the raw food lifestyle and how it has affected me. Most people will shed the weight and then tell you about it. You can experience it with me. I welcome your comments and if you have a recipe you'd like me to try and write about please send it my way and I will give it a go.
Once again, welcome to Raw Muffin. Enjoy and be healthy!