Raw Food

Amanda Baker, one of our fabulous Eat-Clean Diet Ambassadors and a faithful Kitchen Table member has started a crusade on Eating Clean raw styles. She's here today to share her tips, tricks and a yummy, yummy, yummy salad. Would you go raw? 

Amanda and her veggies!

Summer is such a great time of the year, don’t you think?  We don’t have to dress in survival-wear to go to the store, we actually get to see sun after the workday is over, and best of all?  Unbelievably delicious fresh fruits and vegetables are everywhere we turn!

Summer for me, is also a time where I eat and juice a lot of my seasonal produce raw.  I’ve noticed since beginning to Eat Clean a couple of years ago, that many things which are traditionally cooked before eating—corn, asparagus, and beets for example—actually taste totally amazing raw!  Who knew?

Raw corn I tried just a few weeks ago, when I made raw Thai lettuce wraps with a spicy peanut sauce, and threw some newly-shaved corn kernels in with it.  I couldn’t get over their amazing sweetness!  A friend of mine, after trying them, said “why would anyone cook this?!”

Berries are especially delicious when local and eaten raw.  They’re amazing on their own as ready-made finger foods, and chopped up together with a bit of fresh mint they’re completely delicious.

Asparagus is phenomenal chopped in salads and lettuce wraps.  Yesterday I sliced some thinly length-wise, and added them to raw nori rolls!  They were amazing!

I also always feel totally amazing and full of energy when I’m fully enjoying the bounty that nature (and local farmers!) provide this time of the year.  I feel so clean on the inside, since all the stuff that I fill my cart with at the market is super clean.  No grungy pipes here!

It’s important to me to maintain the Eat-Clean Diet principles, even when I’m eating so many super-healthy plant-based meals.  Just because I’m eating lots of raw food doesn’t mean I’m abandoning my Eat Clean ways!  Luckily, there are many, MANY plant sources of protein, from peas to nuts to bananas and greens, so it’s easy to get in protein, and plants of course have lots of carbohydrates, so the protein/carb combo with each meal couldn’t be easier.

I encourage each and every one of you to get out there and explore the edible plant world this summer.  Don’t be afraid to try something new!  When in doubt about how to eat it, just Google it!  There may be things you’ve never tried, but you’ll find out you totally LOVE!    

Here’s a fantastic salad I came up with at the beginning of June.  It was easily one of the best salads I’ve ever made (or had for that matter!) and is exclusive to toscareno.com.

Serves 2 for lunch, or 1 for dinner.

Salad:
Combine in a bowl:
2 sticks celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, chopped or grated
1 cup red seedless grapes, sliced in half
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/3 cup raw corn
2 cups romaine lettuce, ripped into bite-sized pieces
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped finely (optional)
Handful fresh parsley, chopped finely
2-4 green onions, chopped thinly 
2-4 tbsp hemp hearts

Dressing:

2 parts olive oil
1 part to 2 parts lemon juice (to taste)
About 1 tsp Bragg’s liquid aminos (tamari or light sauce are OK if you can’t find Bragg’s)
Enough honey to balance out the sour of the lemon and the salt of the Bragg's.
1 garlic clove, crushed
Bit of freshly ground pepper, to taste

Make sure you taste and adjust to what you like.

Give it a good mix, and make sure to mix as you add to the salad later.

That’s it!  Ridiculously delicious!

For more tasty recipes and tips, and stories about how I’m incorporating more raw food into my clean diet, why not come visit me at my blog.