More Raw Recipes

     When searching for information about raw food and raw recipes there are a lot of people who have made a career out of it, adapting it as a strict lifestyle and promoting products, books and dvds. It may give the impression that to ‘go raw’ is to completely alter your life and swear off cooked food. This could not be further from the truth! You don’t have to be a nut (no pun intended) to enjoy the benefits of raw food.
     A raw food diet for a small period of time to give the body a break and get into cleansing mode is great, and a more permanent commitment to eating 75% raw while enjoying cooked foods and even animal products is fantastic. Find your own style of enjoying raw food to determine how many meals you want to be raw and how many servings of cooked, non-vegan, and non-vegetarian foods you want in your diet on a regular basis.
     My goal is to offer delicious raw recipes that are easy to incorporate into daily life. All of my recipes use only standard household appliances like a blender, a food processor, and occasionally a mandolin. There are many more things you can do with a dehydrator, juicer, and other special tools if you want to get deeper into the world of uncooked food.

And now for the good stuff…

Pesto ‘Pasta’

This dish is so satisfying and filling, it does the trick 9 times out of 10 when I’m having a hardcore pasta craving. If you have a mandolin you can make really thin spaghetti-like strips that you can twirl with your fork. I only had a knife, so I opted for a thickness and length similar to cavatelli.

INGREDIENTS
2 medium sized zucchini
¾ cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
Big bunch basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped tomato for garnish
Lemon

METHOD
Mandolin or cut the zucchini into ‘noodles’. Combine pine nuts, garlic and basil in the food processor and process to combine. Drizzle in oil to desired consistency and season with salt and pepper. Toss the noodles with the pesto and top with chopped tomato, lemon juice and more extra virgin olive oil.


Blackberry Pie

Every now and then there’s a recipe that is perfect, needs to tweaking or altering. This recipe from Helen Hecker is so delicious, it makes one of, if not the best fruit pie I’ve ever had. It contains no dairy, no eggs, no butter, no sugar, and no flour…just nuts and fruit. I challenge anyone to make this and tell me its not one of the best pies ever. It’s also delicious with blueberries.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup walnuts and/or pecans
12 medjool dates
2 bananas
1 ½ pints fresh blackberries

                                                      METHOD
Combine the nuts and 8 dates in the food processor and process until the mixture is crumbly and holds together when pressed. Press the mixture into a pie pan or onto a plate. Without rinsing the processor combine the bananas, leftover dates and a few berries into a smooth paste and spread over the crust. Decorate the top with the rest of the berries. You could also fold in the berries to the banana mixture and reserve just a few berries for the top, but I think it looks prettier as three layers. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and devour happily.

Fine and Raw Ice Cream is here!

    Hopefully you’ve all been fortunate enough to experience the gastronomical euphoria that comes along with Fine and Raw confections. A staple in my home, these raw cacao treats are delicious and healthy, delivering a natural boost of energy and happiness to the mind and palate. And now that warm weather is here, Daniel Sklaar has fulfilled his promise of Fine and Raw ice cream!

    This dark, intensely flavored ice cream is for serious chocolate lovers. Sugar and dairy free, the flavor focuses on cacao with a hint of coconut, all pleasantly sweet. Forget about those sugary brown tubs of fattening ice cream, Fine and Raw is the only frozen desert you need this season. It comes in small containers, and just a small amount satisfies.

    If you love chocolate, deep and delicious chocolate, and you love ice cream, be sure to check out this seasonal treat. You can find it at the Greene Grape Provisions in Brooklyn, or visit their website to find a list of stores that carry Fine and Raw products.

Peaches Hot House: Keep it on the radar

          Partners Ben Grossman and Craig Samuel behind The Smoke Joint in Fort Greene and Peaches in BedStuy are at it again, and regardless of a rocky economy, risky location, and two other busy restaurants to run, they’ve opened yet another neighborhood spot. Peaches Hot House is located on the corner of Tompkins and Hancock, it is just a short walk from the A and C subway stops. With great food, atmosphere, and soon-to-come full bar, this is definitely a new Brooklyn hot spot.

The team’s first restaurant in the area, Peaches, is a neighborhood favorite, and the Hot House embodies the community spirit in just the same way. The intimate space is comfortable and friendly, a place to be amongst neighbors and make new introductions. Ben and Craig know their community and their establishments contribute to the mingling of its people, whether they are young artists and entrepreneurs new to the hood or members of the community for decades.

Another reason for their repeated success is that they are on premise owners. For the first few weeks both Ben and Craig have been in the kitchen and serving guests, interacting to find out what people like and don’t like. At the same time as listening to their customers, their own diverse backgrounds bring an unrestricted passion to the menu, and the results are inspired items, which are excellent.

Conceptually the menu is southern, but the techniques and composition of the dishes borrow from international cuisines. Comfort seems to be a theme, served up as a big bowl of black-eyed-pea soup with homemade smoked chicken sausage, or fresh pasta salad, or crispy grit cakes, and talk of biscuits and waffles for brunch. As they continue to tweak the menu it’s a pleasure to taste the evolution of dishes (stay tuned for an article documenting the evolution of their already infamous fried chicken), and sample the changing specials like short rib salad with baby spinach and strawberry shortcake. Be sure to keep an eye out for the desserts, with serious baking ovens they hope to supplement their enticing list of Bourbon-glazed pound cake, chocolate brownies, and cobblers with things like cream pies and éclairs.

While shortcake and fried chicken may not seem health-centric, Craig and Ben understand the importance of healthy and sustainable living. Sourcing ingredients from local farms, they know that fresh ingredients contribute vibrancy to flavors and improve the overall quality of a dish. In so many ways, it is easy to see, and taste, that the Hot House is committed to culinary and dining excellence.

What you can expect from your experience at Peaches Hot House is personable and professional service, thoughtful touches like complimentary homemade cornbread, fresh and changing specials, and all with a refreshingly fair price tag. They are open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 6-10pm, and will be opening soon for brunch. Their culinary prowess extends to mixology, be sure to sample the impressive selection of house-infusions and artisan cocktails as soon as the bar is open.


Peaches Hot House is located at 415 Tompkins Ave at Hancock St, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn (718-483-9111). Accessible from the A train to Nostrand Avenue, C train to Kingston-Throop, B43 to Halsey, or B52 to Tompkins.