Raw Rainbow Stir Fry

Yesterday I felt like preparing something sweet and simple for today's lunch, so here is what I came up with.

This dish doesn't take long to put together and is easily dehydrated overnight.

At the bottom I have given you three suggestions for plating - feel free to play with the dressing till it suits your tastebuds - and serve it your way!

Raw Rainbow Stir Fry
1 cup broccoli, chopped into florets
1 cup fresh pineapple, in 1" chunks
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into noodles
1/2 cup snow peas

Dressing:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Agave
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp gluten-free Tamari

• Prepare the fruit and vegetables as above and place in a flat bottom glass casserole (an 8 x 11-1/2" casserole gives two good size servings)
• In a bowl whisk together the olive oil, Agave, lemon juice, and Tamari
• Pour the mixture over the fruit and vegetables and stir to coat
• Remove bottom 2 trays from your dehydrator and place casserole on bottom of dehydrator
• Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 6-8 hours, or until softened and warmed through
• Option 1 - I used a vegetable peeler to make zucchini noodles, placed the noodles on a plate, and covered them with the stir fry
• Option 2 - You could sprinkle the stir fry with Sesame seeds and Enjoy As Is
• Option 3 - Increase the amount of dressing and make a veggie rice. Place veggie rice on a plate and pour the stir fry and dressing over top of the rice.

Gluten-Free Life

Since this blog is about sharing possibilities for healthy living, why not revisit the subject of gluten intolerance (from a previous post)? Being a raw foodie I have already had my own experience of the benefits of eating a simpler way without processed foods. But you may want to ask yourself how many products containing wheat, oats, etc are already in your diet - and then consider the possibility that these products may be the cause of lingering problems in your body? An easy way to do your own test is to eliminate breads and gluten products for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. If you do feel considerably better - then maybe you would benefit from a gluten-free diet!

You can see more in my September 10, 2010 post, but here are a few of the symptoms that may arise from gluten intolerance:  fatigue, joint pain, gastrointestinal distress, headaches, weight loss, depression, dermatitis, lactose intolerance, and anemia, just to mention a few.

When I chose to stop eating bread, bagels, and wheat products, my sinus symptoms went away, no aches or pains, and I did not have that bloated feeling. So after some research, I decided that in my raw food classes I would provide the option of being wheat-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. And from there it was a natural progression for me to adopt this way of eating into my lifestyle - this has been a good choice that feels right for me!

For more information - view my post in the Blog Archives on September 10, 2010 - which includes links to follow!

Raw Zesty Orange Chia Pudding

My bag of juicy organic oranges and Chia seeds wanted to get together somehow, so today this quick and healthy dessert came into being!

The oil from Chia seeds contains a very high concentration of omega-3 fatty acid - approximately 64%. Chia seeds contain no gluten and trace levels of sodium, and when mixed with water, Chia seeds create a mucilaginous gel that helps heal the stomach lining. There are no known toxic components of Chia.

Raw Zesty Orange Chia Pudding
2 oranges, peeled and seeded
1/4 tsp (or less) orange zest, grated
2 tsp Agave
1-1/2 tsp raw carob powder (optional)
1 tsp raw cacao powder (optional)
1/4 cup Chia seeds, dry

• You can make this an orange pudding by simply omitting the carob and cacao powders
• Grate the orange peel (before peeling orange) and set aside this zest
• Place oranges in a blender and blend until you have a smooth liquid (about 1-1/2 cups)
• In a bowl mix together orange liquid, orange zest, Agave, carob and cacao powders
• Add 1/4 cup Chia seeds to bowl and blend through
• Allow to sit for 10 minutes to thicken
• Serve in dessert dishes topped with an orange slice!

Raw Garlicky Green Beans

Been day-dreaming of green beans with lots of garlic (welcome to my world) and when I discovered a bag of organic green beans at Safeway, I came home and created this recipe. This serves as a wonderful side dish if you are preparing an Easter meal - Garlicky and Delish!

Raw Garlicky Green Beans

1 pound of organic green beans
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped and soaked
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of Himalayan salt

• Soak sun-dried tomatoes for 15 minutes and then drain off the water (you could use the soak water to flavour other recipes)
• Combine all ingredients in a glass casserole with a flat bottom (8 x 8" works well), mixing all together until well coated
• Remove bottom 2 trays from your dehydrator
• Place casserole into bottom of dehydrator and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 5-8 hours
• Stir mixture every few hours to coat evenly and taste - till done to your satisfaction!

Raw Enchilada Sandwiches

It was so quick and easy to make my delicious lunch today! The trick is to prepare a few raw dishes once or twice a week that can be stored in the fridge. Then when you come home hungry, all you have to do is put the dishes together for a quick nutritious meal. Some of the things taught In my Dehydrator Essentials Class were how to make enchiladas in 4-inch or 6-inch sizes, marinated veggies and raw mayo.

Enchilada shells are so versatile - here is a different way for you to try!

• #1 - Lay a mini enchilada shell flat
• Place a couple of spoonfuls of marinated veggies down the centre of each shell
• Drizzle some raw mayo over the veggies
• #2 - Top this mixture with some home grown sprouts
• Fold enchilada shell in half to fit in the palm of your hand
• #3 - Enjoy this quick and easy meal - taco style! 

Raw Cheezy Kelp Noodles

This noodle dish was thrown together from leftovers in my fridge. I can't believe how easy it was and how tasty it turned out - amazing things do happen when you just let go. 

This is not precise, just what I remember, since I was into enjoying the moment and having a good time!

Raw Cheezy Kelp Noodles

1 pkg Kelp noodles

1/4 cup chopped red pepper

1/4 cup chopped broccoli
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp lemon juice

Dash Himalayan salt

Leftovers from my fridge:

1/2 cup marinated and dehydrated root veggies

1/2 cup Tamari/olive oil marinade

3 Tbsp chipotle mayo (you could use any raw cheese)

• After rinsing and soaking kelp noodles for 10 minutes, they were put in a glass casserole
• After that everything was added to the casserole in no particular order
• Kept adding and taste testing until flavours danced divinely and then put the casserole into dehydrator for 2 hours at 105 degrees
• Voila - a new dish came alive!

Raw Strawberry Macaroons

Here is an easy recipe to make for Valentine's Day! It's my adaption of an Ani Phyo recipe that has only 5 ingredients, so it is fast and easy, but you will need to use a dehydrator to dry these.

This recipe is for Strawberry Macaroons, but you can substitute pineapple to make yellow macaroons, or cacao to make chocolate macaroons.

Raw Strawberry Macaroons

1/3 cup pitted Medjool dates

1-1/2 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
1/4 cup agave

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups shredded coconut  

• Place dates, strawberries, agave, and vanilla in your food processor and process into a puree. Add coconut, and process again to mix well.
• Use a 2 Tbsp scoop to make 12 macaroons and place onto dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 104 degrees for 4 hours.