Category — Healthy Cooked Recipes

When I started Raw Glow I never dreamed that I’d start eating cooked food again because I was so happy being all raw, but as time went on I realized that the warm comforting nourishment of cooked food did me no harm and actually helped me to feel grounded and psychologically satisfied.

The bulk of my diet is still raw, but a percentage of my diet is full of whole foods that are cooked with water such as soups, stews, and steamed vegetables and grains.

Many people ask me what I eat when I eat cooked and here is a sampling of two recipes (a hearty vegetarian lentil stew and a steamed kale recipe) from Cathy Fisher who teaches whole food and vegan cooking demonstration classes at the True North Center in Santa Rosa in Northern California.

If you like these recipes please check out her amazing vegan recipe blog for some more healthy recipes!

Enjoy!

♥,
C

Hearty Lentil Stew

Ingredients
¼-½ cup water, for sautéing
½ large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced

8 cups water
2 medium Yukon potatoes, diced
1 ¼ cups dry brown lentils

1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon dried coriander
2 teaspoons dried basil

½ of a medium green cabbage, sliced thinly, (about ¼-inch thick)

Directions
1. In a soup pot on medium-high, sauté the onion in a bit of water until soft, about 3 minutes (add water as needed to prevent sticking); add the garlic, celery and carrots and sauté another minute or two, adding water as needed.

2. Add to the soup pot: the 8 cups water, potatoes and lentils, and bring to a boil. Add the cumin, coriander and basil, stir thoroughly and then reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 30-40 minutes (until lentils are not hard but also not mushy).

3. Turn up heat and stir in the cabbage, cooking until it is tender (about 5-10 minutes). Serve garnished with diced green onions or chives.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Makes: 4 big, hearty bowls of stew

Rosemary Mushrooms & Kale

 Ingredients
½ cup water
1 large yam or sweet potato, skin on, cut into 1/2–inch slices
1 clove garlic cut in half
1 bunch curly kale, roughly chopped, end stems trimmed
6 large cremini mushrooms or 4 portobellinis (small Portobellos)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions
Place ½ cup water in a large fry pan or skillet with the yam slices and garlic and bring to a boil. Place the kale on top followed by the mushrooms (place them stem side up). Lay the two sprigs of rosemary on top and cover. Decrease heat to medium-low and steam for 10-15 minutes, until the yams are easily pierced with a knife. Remove the rosemary and serve immediately, dividing between two plates or pasta dishes.

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Both recipes by Cathy Fisher at  www.straightupfood.com/blog

*Above is a picture of some mineral vegetable broth I made with the left over juice pulp of celery, carrot, and beet juice. It was a beautiful red orange color that I then sprinkled with dulse flakes.

Last November I wrote a post about how to stay warm on the raw food diet and in the post I explained how I make mineral vegetable broth full of essential nutrients and electrolytes. The original post elicited a positive response and a few questions from readers, so now that the weather is cooling down a bit I decided to make a short video about how I make the (now famous!) mineral vegetable broth.

Click here if you can’t see the vegetable broth video above.

I’ve experimented with making mineral broths many different ways and I’ve found that they turn out the best when I make sure the broth has sweet, spicy, and salty elements.

Choose 3 or more from each category:

Sweet Elements

*Carrots
Beets
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Bell peppers
Apples (without core)
Potatoes
Winter  or Summer squash

Spicy Elements

*Onions
Leeks
Ginger
Garlic
Scallions
Spicy Peppers (use sparingly)
Bay leaves
Thyme
Oregano
Rosemary

Salty Elements

*Kombu Seaweed
*Celery
Shitake Mushrooms
Miso Paste (optional)
Chard
Parsley
Cilantro
Kale
Collards
(any greens will do with the exception of dandelion greens which can make the broth too bitter)

You can also add any culinary or medicinal herb as well!

*Essential

Directions:

Rough chop the vegetables and put them in a large pot of water. Add a few sprigs of herbs, a few bay leaves, and at least 2-5 good sized pieces of seaweed. Kombu and Wakame work best, but any seaweed will do. Let the pot come to a boil and then simmer on low for at least 3 hours. You can then strain the broth and add a sprinkle of salt if desired. For a really clear broth you can use a sprout bag to strain it after it has cooled. Sip the warm broth like tea or use it as a base to make cooked vegetable soups and grain dishes. You can also freeze the broth to defrost for later.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe and stay warm!

♥,
C

Most people I know involved in the raw food movement including myself eat some cooked food at least occasionally. On today’s blog post I wanted to give a healthy suggestion of what to eat when you’re not eating raw:)

When my husband and I were in Venice Beach not to long ago we came across this amazing restaurant that serves Macrobiotic style food call Seed Kitchen For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Macrobiotic diet, it is a primarily whole foods diet that focuses on seasonal organic food. The staples of the diet are traditionally prepared grains, vegetables, beans, and sea vegetables. Click here for a more in depth explanation of the Macrobiotic diet.

When I went to Seed Kitchen I ordered their Macrobiotic bowl which contained perfectly steamed brown rice, kabocha squash, black beans, shitake mushrooms, steamed kale, seaweed, and fermented vegetables. I sprinkled it with gomasio and it was one satisfiying bowl of warm goodness.

When I’m in the mood for something heavy and warm I try to recreate this bowl at home using the below ingredients:

For the grain element I use steamed brown, wild rice (or a mix of both) or quinoa. Quinoa is a lighter grain and it’s the easiest and most quick to prepare grain that there is!

For the squash element I have used steamed Kabocha, Delicata, Butternut, Curry Squash, but any winter squash will do.

For the bean element I usually use well cooked black beans or black eyed peas because they are my favorite, but any bean like pinto, navy, white, or kidney will do. Sometimes I skip the bean element because it requires soaking the beans in water the night prior. If you do decide to cook your beans make sure to cook them with a piece of Kombu seaweed for the minerals and Kombu helps soften beans and makes them more digestible.

I stick with steamed Shitake mushrooms for the mushroom element for the health benefits and the taste. I’m so lucky I get to buy organic Shitakes at the Santa Rosa farmer’s market, but you can get them fresh at a quality grocery store. If you can’t find Shitake mushrooms you can skip the mushroom element.

For the green element I usually use chopped and lightly steamed collards or kale but any leafy green will do.

For the seaweed element I’ve use soaked and rinsed wakame or you could use steamed arame, laver or my favorite, silky sea palm.

For the fermented vegetables you can use your homemade or store bought raw fermented veggies like sauerkraut or kimchi. Most health food stores carry these items in the refrigerated section just make sure the ingredients are just vegetables and there is no vinegar or sugar added.

I make homemade raw gomasio by putting 1/2-1 cup of hulled sesame seeds in my Vitamix with a little sea salt. If you don’t have a Vitamix you can try grinding the sesame seeds in a spice/coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle. Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge and you can use it as a nutritious seasoning during the week.

After you have cooked all the ingredients you can put a little of each of them in a big bowl, sprinkle with your gomasio, and if desired finish it off with a good quality cold pressed oil such as hemp or olive but I’m sure it would taste good with some sort of tahini or miso based dressing (chickpea miso is my fav because it doesn’t contain soy).

I only eat this for dinner because it’s pretty heavy if you’re not used to eating a lot of cooked food, but it really hits the spot and it’s full of massive nutrition such as iron, calcium, zinc, omega 3′s, beta-carotene, protein, fiber, and it’s low fat!

♥,
C