Chef Johan's Raw & Tasty

Posts Tagged ‘food’

Ingredients:
1 small head of cauliflower
1 turnip, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
1 tbs. garlic, minced
1 tbs. shallot, minced
2 dried apricots, diced
2 dates, diced
4 leaves dinosaur kale, chopped
2 tbs. pine nuts
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. nama shoyu
1 tbs. tamarind, soaked at least 30 minutes in 3 tbs. water
2 tsp. cumin seed
2 tsp. corriander seed
1 tsp. fresh tumeric root
1 tbs. cilantro
1 tbs. mint
1 jalapeno, minced

Preparation:
To prepare the cauliflower, you want to break it down to the smallest piece you can — the best way we’ve found is to grab a large piece and start by snapping off the big stem and begin to “flake” the smaller pieces off by working around the head using your thumb to pull them apart. It’s a little tedious to be sure, but you really want small pieces here. Add them to a large mixing bowl.

Dice the carrot, turnip, dates and apricot into small 1/4″ pieces. Mince the jalapeno, shallot and garlic. Shred the kale into 1/4″ strips. Add all of these plus the pine nuts to the cauliflower mixture.

Add the olive oil and nama shoyu, stir to combine.

Push the soaked tamarind pulp through a fine mesh strainer over the bowl. Stir to combine.

Add the freshly ground cumin seed, coriander seed, grated turmeric root, black pepper, chopped mint and cilantro. Stir to combine.

Check for seasonings — it may need a pinch of sea salt to balance the tamarind.

At this point you could eat it as is — or you can dehydrate it for two hours at 105F to bring all of the flavors together. You may need two dehydrator shelves so it lays in a single layer.

These are wonderful to serve for an impressive meal. They are VERY easy to make, but look and taste much more gourmet.
Serves 6

Wraps
4 C organic corn (fresh or frozen, whichever is available to you)
1/3 C ground flax seeds
1/4 C ground sunflower seeds
1/4 C orange juice
1/4 C lime juice
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour out to about 1/8″ thickness onto a non-stick dehydrator sheet and place in a dehydrator for 3 hours at 110 degrees. Carefully peel off wraps and flip onto mesh dehydrator screen and continue drying for one more hour. Cut into large squares and place veggie filling* in center. Roll up, top with favorite salsa or avocado sauce and enjoy.

*Our “recipe” for the filling is nothing more than a variety of favorite minced veggies (such as spinach, carrot, squash), a little onion and some seasonings.

Recipe provided by Purely Delicious Magazine

Very satisfing and versatile.
Serves 4-6

Cheese Filling
2 C almonds, soaked and sprouted with outer skins removed
1/2 C cold filtered water
1 tsp Herbs of Province
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 tsp dried onion powder
1/4 tsp dried garlic powder
dash of white pepper
1/4 tsp good quality probiotic powder (optional)

- 2 fresh zucchini, sliced very thin with a mandoline
- marinara of your choice
- marinated mushrooms

Preparation:
Combine almonds and water in a high-powered blender and process until the almonds are soft and “fluffy.” The texture will be very similar to ricotta cheese. Remove from container and place in a small mixing bowl. Stir in remaining cheese ingredients mixing well. You may use this mixture as-is or continue.

If you choose to make a true “raw cheese”, add the probiotics and stir well. Place mixture in a double layer of cheese cloth and gently tighten the around the cheese. Place in a small colander and set in a corner of your kitchen to all the fermenting process to take place – about 4-5 hours. Be sure to place a bowl or plate underneath the colander to catch any liquids (whey) that will release.

Remove the cheese cloth and place in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about three to four days.

Once the cheese is ready, you can finish putting the dish together. Place about 2 T of the cheese in the center of a slice of zucchini and roll it up. Topping with your favorite raw marinara and marinated mushrooms.

Yummy!

Recipe provided by Purely Delicious Magazine

A refreshing summer salad

Tropical flavors of mango and citrus complement black beans in this colorful salad.

Ingredients

2 ripe but firm avocados, halved, peeled and cubed 
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 ripe but firm mangos, peeled and cubed 
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon grated lime zest 
1/4 teaspoon agave nectar 
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish 
3 tablespoons olive oil 
1 cup black beans, well drained (can be either sprouted, slow cooked, or left out)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, toss gently.  Garnish with cilantro.

By Sherry Baker

According to a new study by scientists at Rhode Island Hospital, millions of Americans could be at risk of serious and even fatal diseases because of chemicals used to fertilize and to preserve food. Scientists have found a strong link between increasing levels of nitrates and nitrites in our food supply and increasing death rates from Alzheimer’s, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s disease.

The research, just published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, investigated trends in death rates due to diseases associated with advancing age. They found convincing parallels between age adjusted rises in mortality from certain illnesses — Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes — and the steadily increasing human exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines through processed and preserved foods as well as fertilizers.

Suzanne de la Monte, MD, MPH, of Rhode Island Hospital, and her research team suggest that the exposure to these chemicals is playing a direct role in the cause, development and effects of the pandemic of these diseases. “Because of the similar trending in nearly all age groups within each disease category, this indicates that these overall trends are not due to an aging population. This relatively short time interval for such dramatic increases in death rates associated with these diseases is more consistent with exposure-related causes rather than genetic changes,” Dr. de la Monte explained in a statement to the media. “Moreover, the strikingly higher and climbing mortality rates in older age brackets suggest that aging and/or longer durations of exposure have greater impacts on progression and severity of these diseases.”

Nitrites and nitrates belong to a class of chemicals called nitrosamines that are created by a chemical reaction between nitrites or other proteins. They’ve long been shown to be harmful to both humans and animals. In fact, more than 90 percent of nitrosamines have been shown in tests to be carcinogens. However, they are allowed to be freely added to the US food supply. In fact, if you pick up a processed food package such as luncheon meat or bacon, certain beers and some cheese products, you are likely to find that they contain these chemicals. In addition, exposure to nitrates and nitrites are widely found in fertilizers, pesticides and cosmetics. Exposure also occurs through the manufacturing and processing of rubber and latex products.

Nitrosamines are problematic because they become reactive at the cellular level and that means they can alter gene expression and cause DNA damage. The new research suggests that the cellular alterations that occur as a result of nitrosamine exposure create a process much like accelerated aging in the body and that could spur on the development of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

“All of these diseases are associated with increased insulin resistance and DNA damage. Their prevalence rates have all increased radically over the past several decades and show no sign of plateau. Because there has been a relatively short time interval associated with the dramatic shift in disease incidence and prevalence rates, we believe this is due to exposure-related rather than genetic etiologies,” Dr. de la Monte stated.

For the study, the researchers graphed and analyzed mortality rates and compared them with increasing age for each disease. Next the scientists looked at the growth of the US population and the annual use and consumption of nitrite-containing fertilizers, annual sales at popular fast food chains (which carry nitrate and nitrate containing foods), sales for a major meat processing company, and consumption of grain (often fertilized with nitrates). For a control, the research team also looked at statistics on the consumption of watermelon and cantaloupe — foods that not typically associated with nitrate or nitrite exposure.

The results show that while nitrogen-containing fertilizer consumption increased by 230 percent between 1955 and 2005, its usage doubled between 1960 and 1980 — and that’s the time period just before the insulin-resistant epidemics of type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease began. What’s more, the investigators also found fast food chain and the meat processing company sales increased more than eight fold from 1970 to 2005, and grain consumption increased five-fold. That means the US population has been exposed to dramatic increase in foods loaded with nitrates and nitrites.

Bottom line: the researchers think the increased prevalence rates of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes cannot be explained on the basis of gene mutations and, instead, are examples of toxin exposure-related disease. “If this hypothesis is correct, potential solutions include eliminating the use of nitrites and nitrates in food processing, preservation and agriculture; taking steps to prevent the formation of nitrosamines and employing safe and effective measures to detoxify food and water before human consumption,” Dr. de la Monte, who is a professor of pathology and lab medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, said in a press statement.

Source article: www.naturalnews.com

“Food Matters is a must see for those looking to take control of their health.”
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