One of the questions that I hear quite often is "Don't you get bored with raw food?" The common misconception is that raw food diet consists of juices, smoothies, salads and an occasional fruit or carrot and celery sticks.
While it is true that there are many more cooked dishes than the raw ones, raw food is neither boring nor monotonous. Everything depends on creativity of the individual in the kitchen whether he or she is cooking or un-cooking a meal. I know people who cooked the same breakfast every morning for the last twenty years. I also know people who never made the same smoothie twice. Most of us probably fit somewhere in the middle - we tend to prepare the dishes we love more often than others but this doesn't mean that our repertory is limited. Whether we cook or eat our meals raw, there will always be new dishes to try. Food, raw or cooked, should never be boring.
To bring a little excitement to your kitchen I created this delicious raw pasta dish. I was inspired by the fragrant peanut sauce that is very popular in South East Asia. But unlike the cooks of Thailand or Malaysia, I did not use the fish sauce nor the soy sauce to make it. And I used raw peanuts!
Raw peanuts contain high amounts of protein, unsaturated fat and fiber. They are also rich in B vitamins, especially B3 and folate; and vitamin E; flavonoid resveratrol; copper and manganese.
While it is true that there are many more cooked dishes than the raw ones, raw food is neither boring nor monotonous. Everything depends on creativity of the individual in the kitchen whether he or she is cooking or un-cooking a meal. I know people who cooked the same breakfast every morning for the last twenty years. I also know people who never made the same smoothie twice. Most of us probably fit somewhere in the middle - we tend to prepare the dishes we love more often than others but this doesn't mean that our repertory is limited. Whether we cook or eat our meals raw, there will always be new dishes to try. Food, raw or cooked, should never be boring.
To bring a little excitement to your kitchen I created this delicious raw pasta dish. I was inspired by the fragrant peanut sauce that is very popular in South East Asia. But unlike the cooks of Thailand or Malaysia, I did not use the fish sauce nor the soy sauce to make it. And I used raw peanuts!
Raw peanuts contain high amounts of protein, unsaturated fat and fiber. They are also rich in B vitamins, especially B3 and folate; and vitamin E; flavonoid resveratrol; copper and manganese.
Peanuts can be eaten raw, but you have to soak them in water before consumption. Like all the other nuts, seeds and grains, peanuts may be contaminated with Aspergillus flavus mold species which excretes aflatoxin as part of its life cycle. Aflatoxin can damage the liver when consumed in large amounts over long periods of time.
To get rid of any mold contamination on raw nuts you can soak them for about one hour in a sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) solution. Use 2-3 Tbsp per cup of soaking water. Rinse the nuts after one hour and begin the "regular" soaking process. Use enough purified water to cover your peanuts and soak for 7-8 hours. When they are ready, rinse them thoroughly in purified water and dehydrate at low temperature in your dehydrator. Skip the dehydration if you are using your peanuts right away.
~ Raw Thai Style Spicy Sweet Potato Noodles with Peanut Sauce Recipe ~
Ingredients:
for the pasta:
- 1 large sweet potato
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 Tbsp cold pressed sesame oil
- pinch Celtic sea salt
for the spicy peanut sauce
- 4 Tbsp raw almond butter
- 2 Tbsp mild raw honey (add more if necessary)
- 1 cup raw peanuts, soaked in water overnight and chopped
- juice of 2 limes
- 2 Tbsp Thai style coconut milk
- 4 Tbsp cold pressed sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos or organically fermented soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp hot chili pepper, chopped (use bird's eye chili if you can)
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger root
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Method:
- Make raw noodles using spiralizer or vegetable peeler. Place the noodles in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl mix lime juice, salt and sesame oil and pour the mixture over the noodles. Mix gently making sure that noodles are well covered with the marinade. Set aside to tenderize.
- Using a blender (low speed) or a food processor mix almond butter, sesame oil, coconut milk and lime juice. Add Coconut Aminos and honey and blend again.
- Add chili, garlic, ginger and cilantro. Mix well. Add half the amount chopped peanuts and mix again. The sauce should not be too thick, but also not too runny.
- Transfer half the amount of peanut sauce to a bowl with noodles and mix well.
- Portion out the noodles into individual pasta bowls. Put a dollop of sauce on top of each noodle pile, garnish with chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro and enjoy in good company!
A word about Coconut Aminos
Coconut Aminos is a still relatively unknown product. I use it to replace soy sauce in many recipes. Coconut Aminos is a gluten-free seasoning that is rich in amino acids, B vitamins, and minerals. It has a very low glycemic index and an almost neutral pH. It is made from natural sap of coconut trees and it comes from organic sustainable farm in the Philippines.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2014