11/5/09

Not 100% Raw

I have been eating a mostly raw, or high raw diet for several years now. In the beginning, I thought of myself as transitioning to an all, 100%, raw food diet. After noticing my transition period was a little longer than expected, I came to the realization that I was probably never going to be 100% raw.

One reason for this is the fact that we eat out twice on the weekends.

The other reason is that I really enjoy some non-raw ingredients like dark sesame oil and seasoned rice vinegar:)

At first I felt guilty having these ingredients. Now I realize they are such a small percentage of my food intake, why worry!

Also, I don't have these non-raw ingredients on a daily basis, and when I do, I use them sparingly.

Today I had all intentions of trying Gena's Turnip Pasta with Creamy Brazil Nut Sauce. It looks so good, and I always love Gena's recipes:)

I soaked a small handful of Brazil nuts before going to bed last night. The sauce recipe was so easy, with just a few ingredients. Click here to check it out.

I assembled all the 'proper' ingredients for the sauce, but had noticed my beloved toasted sesame oil and seasoned rice vinegar next to the ACV and regular sesame oil(evil grin).

So, to my handful of soaked and drained Brazil nuts in the blender, I added 6 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon nama shoyu. This tasted so good just the way it was, but I may play around with it at some point by adding some ginger, citrus juice, and pepper flakes:)

For the pasta, I used one spiralized turnip.

I am always excited to see how the turnip...

...becomes long, thin strands, like angel hair pasta!

One turnip almost filled the bowl of the spiralizer.

I followed the recipe by adding purple cabbage and carrot, but did not have any spinach, so I tossed in a little chopped red bell pepper and broccoli.

After topping the veggies with the sauce, I sprinkled on a few sesame seeds.

This was so good, I had to put down my chopsticks and grab a fork:)

Thanks to Gena for the inspiration!

Oh, just one more thing...
YAY YANKEES!!

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I've recently come to this conclusion, as well. I do believe 100% raw is ultimately what's best for our bodies, but being 100% raw can cause conflict in socializing with friends and family, and to me mental well-being and happiness are just as important as physical health. I like what Tim VanOrden says..."don't obsess over which "good vs. better" thing you put in your body. Instead, focus on the bad you're NOT putting in your body."

If I want a cooked, but healthy, dinner one night, I'm not going to freak out that it's not raw, but instead focus on that it's not a double quarter pounder from McDonald's ;-)

Happy eating!

evergreen said...

Hi Claire!

I absolutely agree with everything you said.

Thank you so much for your lovely comment, and happy eating to you too:)

Angela

bitt said...

I WISH I didn't have to be all raw. But I've tried different things and it seems to be the best for my body. I am sure I'll test it with cooked food again sometime. I do agree some cooked food is fine for most folks.

turnip? I am not a big fan. But never tried a raw one. hmmm.

evergreen said...

Hi bitt...Yes, we all have to find what works best for us:)

I use turnips for angel hair and 'rawioli' mostly. They do have a distinct taste so I like to have a flavorful sauce with them.

I never had a turnip until I went raw, so I never tried a cooked one:)

Joyce said...

Looks lovely! You can do a lot with raw turnips! I might try a raw mashed turnip experiment this weekend. I used to love turnips all mashed up like potatoes when cooked (with Earth Balance vegan butter and salt, this is heavenly). They taste so good when they are soft but maybe it's an aquired taste ;-)

I'm not 100% raw either. I will occasionally have a bit of cooked or baked vegan food on the weekends depending on the situation. And it works for me. But I do feel the best when I eat all raw during the weekends even with all the crazy gourmet stuff I make :-)

Have a nice weekend! Happy friday!

Joyce

evergreen said...

Hi Joyce!... now I am wondering what a cooked turnip tastes like!!!

TGIF! I hope you enjoy your weekend too:)

Michal said...

Looks beautiful as always of course. I hope you have a nice weekend :)

evergreen said...

Hi Michal~Thanks so much!

Have a nice weekend too:)

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