Basics
Preparing Raw Food is really EASY
· First and foremost the ingredients of choice would be fresh organic and local/in-season produce.
· All other ingredients are best unprocessed: Nama Shoyu instead of Soy Sauce or Tamari, sea salt instead of table salt, raw apple cider, extra virgin (first pressed) oils, raw honey or dates as sweetener, raw nut butters, and so on.
· Remember that recipes are easy to adjust: you can use raw apple cider vinegar for lime or lemon juices, honey or dates for agave syrup or maple syrup, any leafy greens can be substituted in recipes calling for kale, spinach, collards and romaine, substitute mango for peaches or pears or persimmons, use dates, raisins or other dried fruit for each other, use walnuts for pecans, macadamia nut for cashews, etc.
· Keep a lot of raw items in the kitchen to make a raw lifestyle easier.
· Fruit IS fast food.
· Make 2 days worth of smoothies to save on time and to make sure you have enough.
· Dehydrate in bulk. Reserve one day for your UnBaking day to dehydrate items in bulk for the next week.
· Plan your menu, and therefore grocery, for the week in advance.
Appliances that HELP
· A Vitamix is essential or other kind of high speed blender. The smoothness and silkiness of smoothies, sauces, purees makes raw food much more palatable to the texture sensitive.
· A food processor is the next best appliance in my kitchen. It cuts the time I spend in the kitchen so I can spend more time with the family. The small sizes it creates does help make raw food more enticing: veggie noodles, slices for chips, grated fruit or veggies… It also acts as another blender when I need to puree more food.
· A dehydrator, like the Excalibur with a temperature control, is useful for snacks and more complex meals (if that is what you and your family desire). In the beginning when our family was transitioning to raw, we used the dehydrator much more than we do now.
· A juicer would be a great addition to your raw kitchen.
