marinated broccoli
a few years ago i watched this short youtube video of the lovely Brigitte Mars called "seven minutes to raw" and her tips have continued to guide me through the kitchen all this time later. i think the biggest impact she had on me was her statement challenging the viewers to "cook without using heat." it really is a genius statement for the raw foodist to be inspired by. the other day, my friend wasn't too sure what i meant when i said this. to me, cooking without using heat really means to manipulate taste, texture and structure of raw whole foods with out using the element of fire to destroy the integrity of the food itself.
let me explain...a way to manipulate the taste of cucumber without harming it's molecular structure would be to season it with sea salt, fresh dill and olive oil. a way to manipulate the texture of hard, crunchy (and inevitably boring to the westerner) broccoli is to let it marinade in olive oil, sea salt and balsamic vinegar for a few hours. as the broccoli marinades, not only does it soak up that delicious flavor, it will soften to a texture more easily eaten...like lightly steamed broccoli. a way to manipulate the structure of raw cashews is to blend them with water, honey, sea salt and lemon juice in a high powered blender to create the base for a decadently healthy raw cheesecake. look at all the things you can create in your kitchen with out using heat! aka, look at all the things you can create in your kitchen with out reducing the water content, destroying enzymes, creating toxic chemical reactions, and making your food harder to digest! so here's one of the easiest ways to "cook with out using heat"....a recipe for marinating!
let me explain...a way to manipulate the taste of cucumber without harming it's molecular structure would be to season it with sea salt, fresh dill and olive oil. a way to manipulate the texture of hard, crunchy (and inevitably boring to the westerner) broccoli is to let it marinade in olive oil, sea salt and balsamic vinegar for a few hours. as the broccoli marinades, not only does it soak up that delicious flavor, it will soften to a texture more easily eaten...like lightly steamed broccoli. a way to manipulate the structure of raw cashews is to blend them with water, honey, sea salt and lemon juice in a high powered blender to create the base for a decadently healthy raw cheesecake. look at all the things you can create in your kitchen with out using heat! aka, look at all the things you can create in your kitchen with out reducing the water content, destroying enzymes, creating toxic chemical reactions, and making your food harder to digest! so here's one of the easiest ways to "cook with out using heat"....a recipe for marinating!
MARINATED BROCCOLI
who says raw broccoli has to be boring? or that children have to hate it? and that adults have to pretend to like it? softening the texture with a marinade will give the broccoli a lightly steamed attitude, while boosting the flavor with the blend of oil and seasoning.
MARINATED BROCCOLI
3 heads of raw broccoli
1 onion
1/2 red pepper
1/4 c dried cranberries
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
dash pepper
*chop the broccoli into bite size pieces. thinly slice the onion in moon shaped rings...(sorry i don't mean to be bossy, but this makes it easier to pick up on your fork.) chop the red pepper into bite size pieces. place them all in a ziploc bag. add all other ingredients except dried cranberries. shake the bag around and massage it while forgetting all the times that your mom tried to force really bad tasting broccoli on you as a child. now toss it all in the fridge (the bag helps it marinade evenly) until your ready to eat it. leave it for as little as an hour and as long as 3 days. maybe four if your lucky...or your husband doesn't mind eating food that's on the brink of being bad. add the dried fruit just before serving.
and i just can't resist showing you a picture of this "delightful hors douvres" i made the other day:)
i was actually inspired by this really unhealthy recipe that i saw in a magazine. but for days and nights i was haunted by how much i wanted to taste it. so i decided to recreate it with out the side order of stomachache, headache, puffy eyes and drowsiness.
to achieve a dairy free alternative, i made a batch of macadamia nut kream cheeze and then i stirred in chopped fresh basil. i took that mixture and stuffed it in dried apricots with an almond squeezed in on top.
it was the fanciest afternoon pick me up that knew how to treat me right!
very informative post eleni. I liked how you explained how we can create flavor without harming a plants molecular structure. Those Creamy stuffed apricots look heavenly!
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