Tuesday, March 3, 2009

I Heart Ani's Raw!

After much whining about not having raw foodist Ani Phyo's un-cookbook, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, I broke down and purchased a copy last week. And I'm so glad I did. To be honest, my monthly first Tuesday raw cleanses were getting a little boring because I was using the same two or three books I'd used all year. But Ani's book has re-invigorated my passion for living foods.

I started my one-day clease with Ani's Spanish Scramble:

Made with her recipe for nut-based Save-the-Chicks Pate, this scramble mimicked tofu. Except it wasn't hot. Really tasty and filling for a raw day breakfast.

I served the scramble with a side of Ani's Red Pepper Corn Salsa:

Simple ingredients — tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, cilantro, and garlic — combine to form a refreshing and healthy raw salsa. I also put a little Zukay Horseradish Relish on my plate since it's also raw and contains good-for-you probiotics.

My tummy didn't begin to grumble until right around noon (a rarity on raw and cooked days ... I typically get hungry again around 11 a.m.). That's when I dug into this Wilted Spinach Salad with Mustard Seed Dressing and Marinated Onions:

I was afraid the raw yellow onions would be overpowering, but they marinated overnight in a soy sauce mixture, so they were soft and not-to0-potent. BTW, I forgot to buy Nama Shoyu, so I used regular soy sauce. Oh well.

Around 3 p.m., the hearty salad began to wear off. To recharge, I drank (or well, ate with a spoon) this Fuzzy Navel Shake from Ani's book:

Mmmm-mmm. This was my first experience using vanilla beans! And I'm sold. Vanilla extract may be cheaper, but it's no match for the taste of the real thing. Unfortunately, since I cut this recipe into fourths, I have a lot of my bean left (and one bean cost $6 at Whole Foods!). I wrapped the pod tightly in plastic wrap and put it in an airtight jar. Do ya'll think it'll dry out? Is it okay to use only part of a vanilla bean at a time?

Finally, dinner was absolutely amazing! I'd previously drooled over Ani's Baja Cheeze Burrito with Taco Nut Meat and Red Pepper Corn Salsa on Pixiepine Palace's blog. Now I finally got to try it for myself:

The "meat" and "cheeze" are both nut-based pates and the "shell" is simply a cabbage leaf. Delicious and a bit spicy — perfect for the chilly late winter weather. I'll be having leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Overall, I think I ate a full cup of nuts in one day — Brazil nuts, almonds, pecans, and walnuts — and a fair amount of sunflower seeds. I would never do that on a non-raw day, but as my main source of fat and protein today, I felt like that was okay. I also snacked on fruit and fresh fruit juice to squeeze in that food group.

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen is my new favorite un-cookbook! If you don't already own it, it's so worth the money and it's perfect for raw experimenters (few recipes require a dehydrator).

25 comments:

Tara said...

Your food looks great! I like that book too, but I haven't made too many recipes out of it. The salsa and burrito look delicious!

nora said...

hey bianca! i bought ani's raw food kitchen last yr and i lovvvvvvvvved the spanish scramble! it was really filling like you said. i really wanna make one of her desserts but i havnt had a chance yet!
the one thing i didnt like was the brazil broccoli mash..the raw garlic was overpowering and the nuts tasted funny lol

The Voracious Vegan said...

I love your raw days, they always inspire me to incorporate more living food into my diet. That salad you had for lunch....wow! I must try marinating onions, I bet that is just fabulous.

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

ahh that all looks great. that book is on my amazon wishlist!!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I HAVE AND LOVE THAT BOOK TOO!! :-)

Jen said...

obee kaybee, i guess i 'm gonna hafta get another effing cookbook. ((giggles))

Anonymous said...

I have heard a lot about that cookbook (or should I say uncookbook?) but I haven't checked it out. I've never made any raw meals other than salads, but I am starting to become interested in it.

All of your raw food sounds tasty. especially the burrito.

jessy said...

i bought ani's book a loooooong time ago and never really gave it a good shot. think i need to reconsider after seeing all the awesomeness here, Bianca! and eating a bunch of nuts on a raw food day is soooo good for you. you need good fat, omegas, proteins, etc - it's good stuff! looks like you had a rock'n raw day - and that's awesome that the foods seemed to have more sticking power! superw00t!

p.s. - i've never used an actual vanilla bean, but in reading online i found this: "vanilla beans should be stored in a closed, but not air-tight, container in a cool, dry, relatively dark place. do not store vanilla beans in the refrigerator or freezer! (the cold will dry them out and may promote a particular type of vanilla mold.) the important thing is that the temperature be relatively constant and that air circulate a bit (unless they are vacuum packed, in which case you can keep them that way until use). tf you do store them in an air tight, sealed container, we recommend opening it every couple of weeks or so to let the air circulate a bit."

hope that helps a bit!

Leslie Richman said...

Thanks for the mention!! I haven't made that salsa...I must! It looks great.

VEGAN TICKLES said...

Everything looks delicious. I've heard so many goods things about Any's book. But I have a habit of buying raw cookcooks and barely using them. Oh well.

Anonymous said...

I have that book but rarely use it, I don't know why! You make the food look so good!

I'm so jealous of the vanilla bean! I've always wanted to try one.

Anonymous said...

Your scramble looks fantastic! And the marinated onions sound good too.

I've heard you can stick leftover vanilla bean in with sugar and it will flavor your sugar.

Anonymous said...

I just bought that book this week!!!! It is much easier to follow, has less ingredients than most raw recipes and she even lists substitutions which helps a lot. You made everything look great!
I wanted to add that I haven't given up testing. I am looking forward to the wafflewich and the seitan and dumplins, I have just been terribly sick the last two weeks and have been surviving on miso soup. As soon as I make them I will write my review. Thanks for being patient with me and giving us an extra week in between recipes. That helps me to keep up. I think out of everything posted I have tried just about all of them. I even bought a waffle iron this weekend so I could try the two waffle recipes as you intended. Anyway, I still love all of your food and have had lots of people ask when your cookbook will be out because they think everything looks so good. Even my non-vegan family members have inquired. So, keep that yummy food coming. In between I will make sure to try some of Ani's yummy recipes as well.

Anonymous said...

Those are all my favourite recipes from that book! If you can get past all of the Ani photos, it's an amazing book!

Gina said...

Well...I think you already know that I love Ani's book! I saw on her website that she is coming out with an all raw dessert book. Um..awesome.

My favorite recipe I've tried from there so far are the stuffed peppers I made on my last raw day..sooo good.

I almost tried the scramble last time I had a raw day, but I'm a sucker for the puddings :)

Mike K said...

Your raw posts always inspire me to pick up a raw un-cookbook or two, and I still haven't gotten around to it. The salsa and cabbage taco especially look delicious, and I'd love to try some of those raw pates.

aTxVegn said...

Your vanilla bean should be just fine. I haven't bought any lately. You've reminded me how awesome they are.

I LOVE Ani's spinach salad and the mustard dressing. I need to try some more recipes from the book.

jb said...

I heart ani's raw too! I can't believe I haven't tried the spanish scramble yet, and the salsa looks delicious, too!

Anonymous said...

I probably need to buck up and get me a copy of this book, already.

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

horray for raw food days!!!! i think i need to get that book!!!

MeloMeals said...

Everything looks great! I have her book and while I never follow recipes, I gleaned a lot of good info about creating raw foods from it.

It is interesting how many nuts we can eat while raw.. in reality, a cup of nuts has around 800 calories, which is super high.. but if that is your fat and protein intake and base of your meals, then it's not so bad.

I know that I will be doing a lot more raw when the weather warms up. My body really likes it..

Lisa said...

Thanks so much for the reviews of the recipes! I recently bought this book too, and I love seeing photos and comments on particular recipes from other bloggers to give me tips about what to try first.

Megan said...

mmm, i love all things vegan crunk! come feed me!

Anonymous said...

I think you've convinced me to get Ani's book. Those recipes look tasty.

reza said...

hmmmm,, yummy.... they look great, i'm sure