Now that I've been educating myself about raw foods and eating that way for the most part for something close to 2 months now, I find myself preferring to eat this way. I still really enjoy going out to eat cooked food, but I find myself craving the rich flavors and energizing nutrients and enzymes in raw food.
It's funny how a month ago I was saying, "I can incorporate raw foods into my diet a few times a week". Now I say the same thing about cooked food. I understand why there are so many blogs and websites already dedicated to this way of eating. Unless you try it for yourself, even if it's only for 24 hours, you don't fully comprehend why people are enthusiastic about it. You just feel better. Everything about your life is better because you are healing your body and that sense of healthiness and sanity can only extend outwards to different parts of your life.
We listen to behavioral health experts all the time, telling us to get to the root of a problem in order to fix it. The root of anything in our lives is ourselves. We have a certain amount of control over that, including what we choose to put into our mouths. There is food... and then there is better food. There is no such thing as a "bad" food in my opinion. I like to choose better foods and incorporate a run, a bike ride, or some form of exercise into my life as often as I can... you should too! Make life a little bit easier and empower yourself :) .
The easiest, fastest, & my favorite way to prepare raw jicama is by making jicama fries with raw ketchup (adapted from The Complete Book of Raw Food by Lori Baird and Julie Rodwell). Dip them in whatever sounds good to you; I once ate them with an avocado based dressing and another time with raw "tuna" pate.
For jicama fries (for 5 people), you'll need:
- 1 lb small jicama (the bigger ones are more woody tasting), peeled and julienned
- 1 tsp or TBSP olive oil, use more or less to your liking
- 1 tsp chili powder (I like Whole Food's 365 Valle del Sol Chili powder)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 pinch sea salt (or even better, himalayan salt or celtic salt)
Toss jicama in a bowl with olive oil and salt. Plate and sprinkle with chili powder, onion powder, and ground cumin.
For raw ketchup to go with your "fries", you'll need:
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (soaked for 2+ hours), reserve soaking water
-1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
-1/4 cup raisins (soaked for 2+ hours)
-1 tsp sea salt (the recipe in The Complete Book of Raw Food calls for 1 TBSP. I found that to be way too salty)
-1/4 cup onion powder
Blend all ingredients together in food processor or magic bullet/whatever personal blender you may own until desired consistency.
Yes it's that easy and no, you don't need a dehydrator! Share with friends or keep the crunchy goodness all to yourself.
It's funny how a month ago I was saying, "I can incorporate raw foods into my diet a few times a week". Now I say the same thing about cooked food. I understand why there are so many blogs and websites already dedicated to this way of eating. Unless you try it for yourself, even if it's only for 24 hours, you don't fully comprehend why people are enthusiastic about it. You just feel better. Everything about your life is better because you are healing your body and that sense of healthiness and sanity can only extend outwards to different parts of your life.
We listen to behavioral health experts all the time, telling us to get to the root of a problem in order to fix it. The root of anything in our lives is ourselves. We have a certain amount of control over that, including what we choose to put into our mouths. There is food... and then there is better food. There is no such thing as a "bad" food in my opinion. I like to choose better foods and incorporate a run, a bike ride, or some form of exercise into my life as often as I can... you should too! Make life a little bit easier and empower yourself :) .
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| "Fries" with raw ketchup... my ketchup is chunky because I didn't pre-soak my raisins. Soak yours for a smoother consistency! |
Before exploring raw foods, I had never tasted jicama. It's a root vegetable that is mild in flavor and slightly sweet. I had only noticed it's existence about 3 months ago when my boyfriend pointed the tuber looking prick out to me at the store. Needless to say, those pricks make delicious, crunchy "fries". They're better for you too; one cup of jicama provides you with 6.4 grams of fiber and 40% of your daily recommended value of vitamin C. If you eat raw or avoid bread, they make a great alternative for croutons or tortilla strips if you like crunchy textures.
The easiest, fastest, & my favorite way to prepare raw jicama is by making jicama fries with raw ketchup (adapted from The Complete Book of Raw Food by Lori Baird and Julie Rodwell). Dip them in whatever sounds good to you; I once ate them with an avocado based dressing and another time with raw "tuna" pate.
For jicama fries (for 5 people), you'll need:
- 1 lb small jicama (the bigger ones are more woody tasting), peeled and julienned
- 1 tsp or TBSP olive oil, use more or less to your liking
- 1 tsp chili powder (I like Whole Food's 365 Valle del Sol Chili powder)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 pinch sea salt (or even better, himalayan salt or celtic salt)
Toss jicama in a bowl with olive oil and salt. Plate and sprinkle with chili powder, onion powder, and ground cumin.
For raw ketchup to go with your "fries", you'll need:
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (soaked for 2+ hours), reserve soaking water
-1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
-1/4 cup raisins (soaked for 2+ hours)
-1 tsp sea salt (the recipe in The Complete Book of Raw Food calls for 1 TBSP. I found that to be way too salty)
-1/4 cup onion powder
Blend all ingredients together in food processor or magic bullet/whatever personal blender you may own until desired consistency.
Yes it's that easy and no, you don't need a dehydrator! Share with friends or keep the crunchy goodness all to yourself.
