Rawmazing Race: Seaweed Salad in Tokyo

Tonight was actually Mr Sprout's turn to make dinner...but he was running late. So, I decided to get out the sundried wakame I bought on a whim last week, and make a seaweed salad. It's been a sea veg day, as I had nori wraps for lunch as well. Now, nori I understand and love, but I was a bit dubious about the dried dog poo looking things in the packet. I was also a little apprehensive about the texture and taste, but what the hey, I'll give anything vego a try! It is a superfood, containing numerous vitamins and minerals, including A, K, some B's, folate, calcium,and iron. It's also one of the highest vego sources of omega 3, so it was about time I tried it! It was super easy to soak the wakame in cold water while I chatted to Mrs Bean on the phone, it only took about 10 minutes (she busted me taking the photos, but I swear I was an active participant in the conversation!) and I chopped up some capsicum, celery, zucchini, spring onion, carrot, and avocado. I threw on some rice vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, and seeds...I didn't have any wasabi, but once it was thrown altogether it was pretty substantial, and surprisingly, tasted really good.Now that I've discovered the deliciousness of sea vegies, I'll probably eat more of them!

The Rawmazing Race: Raw Pasta in Rome

Tonight's dinner is pasta - zucchini noodles that is, with a "cheezy" sauce made from sunflower seeds and cashews, with some garlic, nutritional yeast, and a bunch of pinches of this and that which I can't really remember! I topped the pasta with some chopped capsicum, mushrooms, and spinach, and a few  olives. I don't know if I can get through the entire plate, as I am pretty full still from lunch, which was kale wraps. AND I'm managing to stick to this even though it was -1 when I got up this morning and it's about 2 degrees now (Celsius that is). I have been having hot herbal teas, and a glass of warm water with lemon juice when I get up, which has probably helped. I don't feel overly hungry or desperate, although when it is heading towards meal times I am getting a few random cravings (like mac and cheese which I don't really like that much?) Sales meeting at work involved chicken Caesar wraps...luckily just the thought of eating chicken makes me want to barf anyway, so I had no temptations today! 

Rawmazing Race: Raw Carrot & Ginger Soup in Amsterdam

Ok, so I know this looks like a regular soup, but believe me, it is raw. Since Holland is responsible for much of the carrots we eat today, I thought Amsterdam would be a good stop for tonight's plate hopping adventure. I juiced some carrots,then added half an avocado and some ginger and whizzed it up with my barmix. I added the black sesame seeds for a bit of contrast, but some fresh parsley or dill would probably have gone with it really well too. It was so creamy! I'll probably add this to the rotation, since Mr Bean thought it was pretty good too from the taste he had. Since carrots are a super food and their health benefits would probably fill a book, I'll keep it short. Carrots are loaded with vitamins A,C,D,E,K, B1, and B6, besides a heap of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium (to name a few). They are also alkaline, and  high in phytonutrients, which have amazing healing properties in the body. Add to the soup the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from the avocado that carry fat soluble vitamins such as E and K, and I feel pretty darn good about tonight's dinner! But even if you aren't into all the nutrition of it, just try it cos it's yummy!

The Rawmazing Race: Raw Chilli Stack in Piedras Niegras

Back to Mexico, because I was lagging a bit and didn't know what else to have. Plus I had avocado left over to use up. I actually had some regular low salt corn chips with it because I couldn't be faffed with the dehydrator mid week, and by the time I realised I wanted this, I would have had to wait three days for my corn chips to dehydrate!

For the chilli this time I put in some sprouted quinoa and mushrooms to be the "meat," partly because I was finding the nuts too much, and secondly because I had to use up that quinoa!  I also used up some pomegranate.  Very tasty, even without the chips , I will add the quinoa to the list of items to use to bulk out raw meals.

The Rawmazing Race: Tabbouleh in Beirut

I love Lebanese food - there is a fantastic restaurant called Sahra in Parramatta that does the best vego banquet, and it can be adapted to be vegan. They have the creamiest hummus I've ever had, and  the fattoush is perfect! The only tabbouleh that has ever beaten it would be the one made by a Lebanese neighbour we had when I was in my teens -she used to bring all sorts of things over for us to try, a lovely and very hospitable lady! So I thought I'd give it a go. Ok, so I know most people think tabbouleh is raw anyway right? It is apart from the traditional cooked cracked wheat. I substituted the wheat for soaked  red quinoa which was perfect, apart from the fact I forgot how much it swells and had heaps left over - it ended up sprouting in the fridge, and I had it for lunch as well! I also put some pomegranate in it as it is currently in season and I love it! On the side I have some raw cashew hummus, carrot and celery sticks, and some fennel infused olives. It was very filling, but I think it was basically because by this point in the week I was accustomed to eating so clean and I didn't need much to fill me up. Then again, maybe it was the quinoa? 

The Rawmazing Race: Raw No Fry in Shanghai

This was Tuesday night's dinner. I was cold, damp, missing the Beloved (he was a away for work), had a thumping headache from the detox process, and couldn't get the internet to work. I was SORELY tempted to give in, put the mushroom ragu from the freezer into the oven or alternatively eat something crumbed, battered and fried. Everyone I passed in Katoomba seemed to be drinking hot chocolate or eating hot chips. And everyone seemed to be eating lunch in the room joining my office and all I could smell was hot buttered toast, soup and the like. Did I mention we had a sales meeting and there was sampling of a new soup product? Nope, didn't have any - even though it was veg (and this is rare for tastings at work!)

Somehow, I didn't give in. I had a hot shower, drank a cup of fruit tea, and lit the fire. And then I made a no fry, and somehow curbed my cravings. I actually struggled eating all of it!

The ingredients were simple - baby bok choy, broccoli, carrot, capsicum, celery, cucumber, and cashews. The dressing was tamari, rice vinegar, chilli, coriander, and sesame oil. Once again, I didn't measure, just tasted as I went. I would like to make it again with some different veg combos.

And I wouldn't have minded being in Shanghai eating this and planning some tours of the city, visiting temples, and a boat ride down the river. Instead I was in my pj's on the couch trying to decide whether I wanted to ogle watch Hugh Jackman or Alexander Skaarsgard. The blondie won.

The Rawmazing Race: Raw Ratatouille in Nice

This was Monday night's dinner. How I wish I was actually in Nice eating this, sitting in a cafe and looking oh so chic and slim. Or perhaps I've wandered onto the set of 'Allo 'Allo and I'm in Nouvion being served by Rene Artois? (as long as it wasn't cabaret time and I had to stuff cheese in my ears so as not to hear Edith's off key warbling). Alas, the closest to being French I will get while eating this will be to sit in our Renault and to wear my beret. But don't let that stop you eating this, the fresh tomato  sauce is really tasty, and it is filling yet light. And so easy! I didn't measure, just tasted as I went. the classic ingredients are all here, just uncooked!

I used my mandolin to thinly slice eggplant, which I tossed in salt and olive oil and set aside in a colander for about 20 minutes while I did the rest. I chopped zucchini, capsicum, and diced tomato and onion, some basil and parsley, and tossed together. For the fresh tomato sauce I blended a couple of tomatoes, a sliver of fresh garlic, a slice of onion, salt and pepper, and some extra virgin olive oil. I rinsed the eggplant before tossing it in with everything else. It was even better for lunch the next day.

Bon appetit!

Rawmazing Race: Cannelloni in Palermo

I have no idea where May went, all I know is that I planned so much and just got lost somewhere along the way.it's been a frustrating month where everything just doesn't seem to go quite right and being wet and cold has effected my mood.  I will certainly try to get some more posts up, but June is going to also be a busy month. In any case I'm going to try and shake the winter blues with some good raw food, so I will try and post what I'm eating even if the pictures are a bit crappy. So onwards with the rawmazing race...

I could be sitting in a cafe in Palermo, so chic in my designer frock eating this healthy version of cannelloni. I'm not, but it doesn't hurt to dream. I've seen other versions of raw cannelloni but it seemed too fiddly with wrapping all those slices of zucchini, and they didn't have any sauce on top of them. This just involves coring a cucumber (or zucchini) with an apple corer and stuffing the centre - although to tell the truth I couldn't find the apple corer so used a cannoli tube and tapped that through instead :) Necessity is indeed the mother of invention! It took me about 15 minutes, maybe less to put this together, a speedy meal indeed, and so many good things going into my body. 

Ingredients
Canneloni "tubes" I used were two cucumbers peeled, and cored (keep the peel and cores)

For the filling
1 tablespoon raw pine nuts
big handful spinach
centre of cucumber, and peel
couple of fresh basil leaves
sliver of fresh garlic
pepper
lemon juice

Topping
Finely chopped fresh tomato (you could puree instead but I like them with a bit more texture)

For the sauce
1/2 cup almonds and cashews, soaked
juice of a lemon
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
water

Method
To make the filling pulse in food processor all ingredients, and then stuff the tubes.

Chop the tomatoes finely and put on top of the tubes

Puree sauce ingredients, adding a little water at a time until a good consistency is reached, it shouldn't be too runny, but thinner than a dip. Top the tubes, and eat!

The Rawmazing Race: Waldorf Salad in New York

Tonight I'm in New York, sitting in a posh restaurant with Donald Draper, wearing a fab frock and looking glamorous having ordered a stylish and ever popular Waldorf Salad...Who am I kidding? I'm sitting with my husband on the sofa watching an episode of 'Ello 'Ello and not in any state of glamour at all. But I am eating a Waldorf salad.Yes, I know it's just a salad. But this is one of the most famous salads in the world and was created at the Waldorf in New York some time in the 1890s. A typical Waldorf salad contains copious amounts of egg layden mayo with celery, apple, and walnuts (with or without lettuce). Tonight, I made some cute Waldorf stacks and drizzled raw vegan mayo made with cashews over the top. It was pretty yummy if I do say so myself, and the cashews add some protein, good fats, iron, zinc, and copper to my nutritional intake for the day. The walnuts add some folate, B6, and thiamine. So have a go at this little salad and make your own raw vegan mayo.

To make the mayo, I blended raw cashews, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, water, and a little nutritional yeast. I just added  a little at at time until I found the balance I liked, but used probably 2/3 cup cashews. Leftover mayo will make a great dip for some veggie sticks tomorrow!

So where to next on this raw vegan plate hopping adventure? Not sure, but stay tuned!

Rawmazing Race: Chilli Wraps in Acapulco

Life has been very busy of late juggling a full time job on top of catering work, but hey - it will all be worth it when I can eventually concentrate on catering only. I didn't get much of a chance to post any more baking, but Bake My Day will probably be resurrected at a later date.

So, being the 1st May, the Rawmazing Race has now begun. This may not be a coherent trip around the world as such, depending on what I feel like eating and ingredients readily available. I also want to try and do easy recipes that don't require a lot of special equipment, and preferably, something that doesn't require a great deal of time, so not  a lot of dehydrating sort of stuff. Since I have a heap of fresh tomatillos, first stop is Acapulco on the coast of Mexico. The menu? Chilli wraps - easy to do without a tortilla.

Ingredients

2/3 cup walnuts, crushed

1/4 cup sunflower seeds, crushed

1 cup fine chopped mushrooms

big handful chopped spinach

1/2 cup grated carrot

approx 10 soaked semi dried tomatoes

1 fresh tomato

1 clove garlic crushed

1/2 tsp chilli powder

handful fresh coriander leaves

1 cup chopped tomatillos (or fresh tomatoes)

1 small onion

Large lettuce leaves for wrap

1 mashed avocado

Method

Soak semi dried tomatoes in warm water for 10 minutes, then puree.

Crush nuts and sunflower seeds- if you don't have a food processor or a mortar and pestle, fold into a clean tea towel and bash with a rolling pin or a tin of beans or whatever you have...

Chop mushrooms, onion, tomatillos, and tomato, grate carrot and chop spinach.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients including chopped fresh coriander, garlic and chilli powder. Add a little water, cover, and leave in fridge until ready to use. I made mine in the morning and it was perfect for dinner, the flavours had gone through really well.

Take a large lettuce leaf such as a cos or iceberg, spoon the chilli down the centre, and top with mashed avocado and tomatillos (or tomatoes). Fold over and eat!

This was super easy, it only took me about 10 minutes to make, and I could make it in the morning and all I had to do was spoon it into a lettuce leaf and serve. It was warming too with the chilli in it, so perfect for cooler evenings. Plenty left over for lunch as well! It is rich in vitamins B-6, A,C, and E, copper, manganese, selenium, iron, and zinc. It also has a  protein from the nuts and avocado, so it's good all rounder.

The Rawmazing Race

I planned on posting so much baking. But alas, things got in the way...like the flu which somehow I got  and although I have told it the relationship is over and to please leave,  it just doesn't listen. Must be  a man flu then ;) huh? It is my own fault. I stopped having green smoothies for breakfast, and eating naughty things, and I guess my body just decided it couldn't stand up to the germs that have been circulating at home and the office for the past 6 weeks and all the white blood cells must have waved their little white flags and surrendered. So, it just goes to show the amazing power of green smoothies and raw vegan food, because I got through last winter with not a sniffle - the minute I slacken, I'm in trouble. So, while I'll be putting up a few more baking posts before April is over, I may not necessarily be eating much of it. I'm sure the Beloved won't mind, and neither will the boys at work on a Saturday morning - more for them!

So with that in mind, and a need to ahem, drop a few kilos, May will be all about raw. So, what's the Rawmazing Race all about? It's about me, trying to get really good fuel into my body, so that it heals itself, and getting my fitness back up to scratch. It's not easy for me partly due to having had my thyroid removed - this gland controls your metabolism. But, I have had great success before with mostly raw food and a really good workout plan. So, the mission? To lose some flab and feel fab. How am I going to do it? Race around the world via my plate and explore some tastes from around the globe in raw form. At the end of the month I should be feeling much better! The posts will probably not be as pretty as my other ones, as photos of dinner without natural light never really look that great - but it will be a chance to document what I eat. Wish me luck!