The other night I had a rare treat when I was having dinner with a friend and her family. She and I have very similar food philosophies so it’s great to share food with her. Both of us have incorporated a variety of raw foods into our diets over the past few years. Of course there’s the raw fruits and vegetables but both of us make raw bread products and snacks regularly. The world of raw food is so fascinating and I love trying new things. If raw food is something completely foreign to you, there are a number of good introductory books. One that I recommend is The Raw 50 by Carol Alt. She provides a basic and clear introduction for raw foods and then has scrumptious recipes. Internet blogs are another great resource for raw food recipes.
The other night I had raw ice cream for the first time. All I can say is “Wow!” The original recipe was created by Sarma Melngailis, a raw food chef in New York City. Her Raw Food, Real World book contains 100 recipes but it’s not really a basic raw food book. Carol Alt’s The Raw 50 has a modified version of the original recipe and is better for beginners. My friend had made both vanilla and chocolate versions of the ice cream and I sampled both. The great thing about the ice cream is, is that it’s completely dairy free. It’s primarily made with various forms of coconut and cashews. As I was beginning my meal preparation for the coming week, I realized that I already had the ingredients on hand to make my own ice cream, all that was missing was an ice cream maker. Once I remedied that situation, I made my own raw ice cream.
Upon sampling my ice cream, I was reminded (once again) of how satisfying it is to make your own food. Delicious food can be prepared and savored with minimal work. I encourage you to explore the tasty world of raw food.
