Exciting New Year 2010

A special thank you to all my readers for hanging along and following my new blog. Geek gone raw has not been around too long, and it is really in an experimental stage trying to find its own niche in the vast world of online blogs - any feedback is therefore greatly appreciated. I'd like to wish you all a wonderful, exciting New Year 2010 full of challenges!

Here are some snap shots of our party spread:

Indian-spiced rudabaga wedges (first pic)

Curried split pea burgers

Guacamole

Amazing Hummus (with fresh parsley, sprouted sesame seeds and turmeric)

Faux Ketchup (organic tomato puree, braggs raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar, dark agave, spices)

Marinated garbanzo beans (olive oil, coconut oil, pepper, Himalayan salt, lemon juice)

Seasonal organic vegetables for dipping

We also made some raw pomegranate chocolate, which we will enjoy with a glass of real Champagne. Of course champagne isn't really health food, but there is something to be said about all things in moderation. One glass a year won't certainly do any harm.

Enjoy your evening! Eat well :)

Greek orange fennel salad

Greek orange fennel salad:

small handful of sun dried tomatoes

cold pressed olive oil

1 small red onion

1 small bulb fennel

5 small oranges

Himalayan salt, freshly ground black pepper

Fresh parsley

Chop up dried tomatoes, place in olive oil to rehydrate them. Grate the peel of all 5 oranges into the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Thinly slice the red onion and fennel into rings. Pour marinade over onion and fennel, add chopped parsley. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Allow to marinate for at least an hour. If you like, you could add some fresh finely chopped chili or sliced greek olives.

This salad is a combination of extremely nutritious foods: good quality olive oil, raw fennel, parsley and onion. Especially the fennel and parsley are packed with vitamins, antioxidants and phytochemicals. You remember my last post about fennel? I mentioned just a few of the numerous health benefits of consuming fennel, especially raw. I myself don't care too much for a strong anis taste, so I'm trying to find ways to mask that and enjoy live dishes made with fennel. This marinade definitely did the trick, the salad was extremely yummy. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Herbed flounder parcels with sundried tomatoes and lemon wedges

Marinade (for 6 small fillets of European flounder):

High-quality, cold pressed olive oil

7 sun dried tomatoes (dry&whole)

lemon zest (organic lemon!)

large clove garlic

dried or fresh chives, thyme, dill

Slice sun dried tomatoes into thin strips, grate garlic and place in a bowl. Grate about the peel of one lemon. Make sure it is organic, at least when you are using the peel. You will never know what it could have been treated with otherwise. Drizzle a fair bit of olive oil on top, you need enough for the tomato strips to pump up. Add the herbs.

Herbed flounder parcels:

the lemon you peeled for the marinade

1 medium red onion

Himalayan salt, ground black pepper

dill, thyme, chives

Salt and pepper the flounder fillets. Place in the center of a square piece of foil/parchment paper, pour marinade on top and add in red onion rings (thinly sliced), lemon wedges and some more herbs. I am not sure about the safety of aluminum foil, so use that with caution. Roll up into parcels and bake in low heat (350F) for 20-30min.

I got the idea of fish "parcels" from Yaelian's interesting blog. She used tilapia and leeks in hers, check that recipe out too!

Here's a pic of the entire plate. The fish is served with mashed sweet potatoes and pumpkin (very briefly steamed, mashed with creamed coconut, spices) and a salad of grated carrot, sprouted red quinoa and raisins. As you can see, most of your plate should consist of veggies, especially raw ones. Always when cooking, pause to think what you actually must cook. Very little things actually need heat! You don't need cooked food every meal, not even every day.And when you do cook, use gentle methods to preserve vital nutrients (steaming for instance). If you haven't thrown out your microwave already, do so immediately. To many this is probably a given, but there are way too many people out there unaware of how they are exposing themselves to harmful radiation and free radicals just by warming up their packed lunches at work.

Coconut encrusted chicken breast on a bed of thai-marinated cauliflower

Marinated cauliflower:
1/2 large head cauliflower
batch thai-marinade

Grate or finely chop cauliflower to a rice-like consistency. Stir to coat and allow to marinate for at least an hour in the fridge.

Thai-inspired marinade:
1 roughly inch-by-inch cube of grated ginger
1-3 cloves garlic
1/4 C soaked, unhulled sesame seeds
juice of one lime
2 tbsp coconut oil
perilla (purple mint) & flat-leaf parsley leaves
fresh red chili pepper
Himalayan salt & pepper
(water)

Blend smooth in a blender.

Coconut encrusted chicken breast
2 as fresh and organic chicken breasts you can get
lime juice
coconut oil
raw organic honey
Himalayan salt & pepper
chili
meat of half a coconut

Marinate chicken breasts for as long as you can in lime juice, organic coconut oil, honey, salt & pepper. Fry on a non-stick frying pan only until just done, you don't want chewy overdone chicken or black burned meat with carcinogens. "Grind" coconut meat with chili (fresh or dried), salt & pepper into a coarse mixture. Take the chicken off the heat and coat with grated and spiced coconut. Serve on top of thai-cauliflower and fresh vegetables.

This is a wonderful spicy meal for someone who still eats meat, but prefers majority of their veggies raw. If you are 100% raw, feel free to accompany the thai-"rice" with a raw burger or for example stuffed red pepper. A vegan could use the chicken marinade to marinate tofu. As with most of my recipes, they are meant to inspire your own culinary aspirations, not to tell you to eat exactly what I eat.

I've written about this a couple times, but I thought it may be a good idea to summarize. With my knowledge of nutrition I cannot recommend an unsupplemented, exclusively raw vegan diet. If you are ethically opposed to meat products, that is perfectly understandable and a respectable principle. It does not however mean that you don't need vitamin B12 and protein like the rest of us. So, make sure you are getting enough protein from your diet and regularly consume a good-quality B12 supplement. I personally believe that the best diet is one which is high in variety, consisting of mostly fresh and organic food. Raw food is high in enzymes that aid digestion and absorption of nutrients, so try to take in most of your food (80%) uncooked.

This is a quick list of what to eat and what not to eat:

Yes, often:
Fresh, wild caught fish (vary the species you eat)
Sprouted quinoa, soaked millet and buckwheat
Cold-pressed, organic oils (coconut, olive, hemp..)
Dark leafy greens
Sprouted legumes (chick peas, adzuki beans, peas, mung,lentils)
Seeds (sesame, chia, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin)
Raw organic honey (high in enzymes, tolerates heat well!)
Avocado, ruby grapefruit, pomegranate, lime, lemon
Sea vegetables
Dried fruit (especially figs and dates for calcium and vitamins, help with acid/base balance)
Berries (goji, blueberry, sea buckthorn, mulberry etc)
Nuts (cashews, walnuts, brazil, pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts)
Fresh herbs (especially flat-leaf parsley is packed with vitamin C, iron and antioxidants)
Turmeric

In moderation:
Raw cacao (high in caffeine, possibly other harmful side effects -> use mostly carob)
Soy sauce, even nama shoyu (high in sodium)
Salt
Raw cane juice/sugar, agave (just because it's raw doesn't mean it's healthy)
Red meat, pork (avoid if possible or buy organic)
Wine
Butter (if needed, buy pure & organic)
Soy products (if consumed always buy organic and non-GMO)
Coffee
Cooked veggies (favor steaming over other cooking methods)

No:
Dairy (casein, lactose)
Refined white sugar
White flour
Any additives, preservatives (especially ANY artificial sweeteners and MSG)
Potato, white rice & pasta (deficient in nutrients, high in carbs)
Margarine & refined oils (trans fat)
Refined sugar
Table salt (chemically synthesized sodium chloride)
Bread (replace with raw crackers or organic 100% yeast-free rye bread in moderation)
Peanuts (highly common allergen, contain toxins)
Non-organic greens (high in nitrates)
Processed food

This is just a quick list, intended as a guideline. Use your own knowledge to decide what you believe is right for you. We are all individuals. If you don't understand why something is listed, feel free to ask in either Finnish or English and I'll be glad to explain further. I hope this inspires you to do your own research so that you can make informed decisions about your own nutrition. The main problem these days with food is that so many of us have just stopped caring. It is far too easy to just grab what's fast and cheap.

Do your loved ones a favor and start valuing yourself and taking care of your body. If you have children one of the most important tasks you have as a parent is to be a role model: the only way of teaching is actually showing them how to live healthy and eat right. If you have a spouse or partner, every additional year you can spend together healthy is priceless. Cleansing your diet will also help cleanse the environment. What are you waiting for?

Embark on your own journey to increased vitality and happiness, step by step. Never stop because you think you know it all already.

Raw romaine burritos with coriander guacamole, & marinated garbanzo beans

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for reading my blog and taking the time to write encouraging and inspiring comments. My greatest hopes for this blog is to get people interested in their own nutrition and making informed choices about their diets. It is so very important because the way we eat has a profound effect on our quality of life. Clearly, it is worth to do some of your own research to make sure you are providing your body with everything it needs.

Here's another spin on the all-time favorite, quick raw dinner. Lettuce wraps, again! This time with romaine leaves, coriander guacamole & marinated garbanzo beans.

Coriander guacamole
2 avocados
juice of half a lime
himalayan salt, pepper, ground coriander, fresh finely chopped chili to taste
(crushed garlic cloves)

Mash avocados but leave in tasty chunks. Add spices according to taste.

Marinated garbanzo beans
sprouted garbanzo beans
coconut oil
chili powder
himalayan salt, pepper, ground coriander, dried thyme

Mix all marinade ingredients and pour over whole, sprouted chick peas.

Sauteed coconut chili onion rings
2 onions, sliced into thin rings
coconut oil
2 cloves garlic
1 inch or so of fresh red chili
himalayan salt, pepper

Heat oil, sliced garlic cloves and chopped chili in a frying pan. Add onion rings, salt & pepper. Saute until desired softness.


Other fillings: tomato, zucchini, carrot, calamata olives, fenugreek sprouts

Feel free to omit the sauteed onion if you are on a strictly raw diet. If you aren't, I recommend it for the spicy depth of flavor it brings to this dish. This recipe is more intended to inspire your own culinary imagination than provide a strict recipe. So choose your own toppings and use your favorite spices. Roll in large romaine leaves like you would a traditional burrito. Be creative!

Balsamic portobello steaks with marinated vegetables

I couldn't pass up a box of huge and gorgeous portobellos, even though they were fairly pricey.
They are served with a side of basil-marinated, sesame seed encrusted vegetables. The recipe serves two hungry people, with some possible leftovers.


For the portobellos:

5 Whole portobello mushrooms
Equal parts good organic balsamic vinegar (no chemicals!) and organic cold pressed olive oil
Few teaspoons of lemon juice
Rosemary (fresh or dried)
Himalayan salt & freshly ground black pepper
as many crushed garlic cloves as you like

Coat each mushroom well, allow to marinate for 15-30min. Place in 115 F (46 C) and dehydrate for as long as you want. Mine were in for an hour.

For the veggies:

1 Red Bell pepper
1 Red onion
Few handfuls of long green beans
Few handfuls of zucchini
Fresh basil leaves to taste
Handful of soaked sesame seeds (I only had an hour to soak mine)
Coconut oil
Himalayan salt & pepper
Leftover portobello marinade

Mix well and warm up in the oven under 115F or just allow to marinate in room temp until mushrooms are "done". Enjoy your steak dinner! :)

I realize some raw people don't consider balsamic vinegar to be truly raw, so if you feel strongly about this you could substitute a raw vinegar for it. Or just add more lemon juice.