The New Site is UP!

Free Ebook on New site

Hi Boys and Girls. The new and improved “Live Food Experience” is up and at a slightly different URL. I’ve migrated all the content over to the new site and that is where the new content will be posted… so come on over, change your bookmark and update your subscription.

Also on the new site is a free ebook that can be downloaded from the “store”. It’s called “Zen and the Art of Gadgeting”. It’s part memoir, part inspiration, part recipe book and part vanilla, lucuma swirl.

See you at the new site and Keep it Live!

Adam

Aho!

The Live Food Experience… In your very own kitchen!

Recently I prepared an in home dinner for 4 in Jacksonville, Florida. I have to say this is one of my favorite ways of introducing people to the magic of living foods. I’ve done a few these dinners in the past they all have been a great success. Most of the time there is a skeptic in the bunch or at least someone who doubts they will enjoy or feel satisfied with the meal. So far I’ve been able to leave everyone satiated, satisfied and smiling. Now there’s no telling whether or not they throw a pot pie in the microwave or thaw out a pizza once I’m out the door.

Thai Miso Soup

The menu from the other evening began with Thai style miso soup. Here’s the basic procedure:

1. Start by warming 3 Cups filtered water on the stove, not boiling just hot to touch.
2. Transfer the water to a blender. I had brought my Vitamix but any blender will do.
3. Add 3 T of unpasteurized miso.  I used my favorite chick pea miso from South River Miso to make the broth. Add 1/2 an avocado, 1/2 or a full bell pepper (yellow preferred), 1 T of Thai Curry Spice from Mountain Rose Herbs,1-2 cloves of garlic, 2 t lime juice and 1-2 t of fresh ginger..
4. Blend for for 30 seconds.
5. Cut up some fresh basil add to blender and blend for 5 seconds.
6. Pour into cups and add fresh cucumber batons, shredded carrot and bell pepper chunks.
7. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf.

Next on the menu was a veggie medley Pad Thai creation. I used kelp noodles from Sea Tangle Noodle Co., spiralized zucchini and carrots and diced jicama to make the noodles. The sauce consisted of:

• almond butter
• water
• unpasteurized miso
• tamari
• lemon juice
• olive oil
• palm sugar
• ginger
• hot pepper

Pad Thai with Almond Miso Sauce

I’m a big fan of this sauce. To me it’s good enough to drink straight. After I blend up a batch I swish water in the bottom of the blender and drink what’s left. Nothing goes to waste in the live food kitchen.

Dessert was the next order of business. I like to keep things delicious and easy at these dinner parties. I chose to make a mango banana sorbet. The sorbet is a easy 1, 2 recipe… 1. cut up and freeze fruit 2. pass frozen fruit through a masticating juicer with the blank plate… done.

I did make a special sauce to top the sorbet with. It was an agave cinnamon sauce. It consisted of:

• agave
• maple syrup
• almond butter
• agave powder
• cinnamon
• salt

I blended this mixture and put it in a squirt bottle. The agave came across very sweet to me and in the future I’d probably make this again with soaked dates or palm sugar instead of agave… regardless, it was still delicious! Schedule a Dinner Experience in your home today.

Making Sorbet

Mango Banana Sorbet

Apple Buckwheat Breakfast

unsprouted buckwheat

Sprouted buckwheat is a really magical food. Most people know buckwheat in terms of buckwheat pancakes but sprouted buckwheat ain’t the same thing. Buckwheat isn’t even a grain like the name “wheat” might imply. It’s a “achene” which is a technical term you can investigate. For simplicity sake let’s just call it a seed that is unrelated to wheat therefore having no gluten. Buckwheat flour used for baking and raw buckwheat groats are unsprouted and contain enzyme inhibitors which need to cooked or sprouted to deactivate. Newbie rawfooders may initially have a bad experience working with buckwheat if they don’t sprout it. Buckwheat needs to be thoroughly rinsed, soaked and sprouted. Check out this post regarding sprouting buckwheat.

Once you have sprouted the buckwheat you have a very versatile ingredient for food prep. Don’t be shy when sprouting buckwheat. The sprouted groats can be dehydrated and stored for later use in recipes.

sprouted buckwheat

Buckwheat can have a dominant flavor and texture if not used in the right proportions. When I use it in granola  I typically add 3 times the amount of nuts or seeds to buckwheat in the recipe. You’ll know if you have too much buckwheat in a recipe because it will taste bland and have a chalky feel in the mouth.

Buckwheat is a warming food which makes it a great breakfast option during cold months. It is high in calcium and also a great source of rutin which helps to strengthen capillaries. If you bruise easily or are wanting to rid yourself of varicose veins, add buckwheat to your diet.

Here’s a quick and easy buckwheat recipe. I used apple for this version but banana or pear can easily be substituted. I added hemp oil to give the porridge the satisfying effect when fats are added to a recipe. You can add a thick nut or seed mylk instead or a nut butter. Have fun with the recipe and adapt it to your liking.

Sprouted Buckwheat Apple Porridge

¼ C sprouted buckwheat

3 T shredded coconut

1 apple – cut up

2 T gojis or raisins – mix in at end

1 T maple syrup, honey or agave

1 T sweet cinnamon or 1 t cinnamon

1 T mesquite

1 T hemp oil

1 t maca

pinch of Himalayan salt

Combine in all ingredients except for raisins/gojis in food processor.

Mamey Sapote… good eat’n

Mamey Sapote

For folks living out at the beaches of Jacksonville you may have noticed a new produce stand that has opened on Atlantic Blvd. just west of The Ditch and on the south side of the street. Peaches, boiled peanuts, veggies, local muscadine/scuppernong grapes and… mamey sapote? For those that are intimidated by new foods, have no fear, mamey is your friend. Mamey are native to Mexico but they have been transplanted to tropical and sub tropical climates like South Florida. The fruit can range from the size of a small avocado to up to a foot in length. The skin of the fruit is brown with the texture of flaky sandpaper. The fruit is ripe when it gives to slight pressure. The ripeness can be determined by slicing a thin layer of the brown skin off. If it reveals deep orange the fruit is ripe… light pink/green, let it ripen. Don’t rush a mamey and try to eat it when it’s firm or you may have an unpleasant experience. When unripe the flesh of the fruit it rubbery and very tannic… bitter tasting. A soft ripe mamey on the other hand is quite the magical experience. You can split it in half as you would an avocado. In the center of the fruit should be a medium sized seed. The  soft custardy flesh of the mamey has a vibrant orange/pink similar to that of a baked potato. Now comes the good part, the taste. Mamey reminds many of pumpkin pie with a dash of vanilla and almond extract. The flavor has been likened to sweet potato, cherries, chocolate and almonds. Eat it right out of the skin or add it to smoothies or ice cream recipes. Mamey is high in vitamin C, beta carotene, iron and fiber. The carb/fat/protein profile is 88%/8%/4%. Some might say a near perfect balance.

Recently I made a mamey gadget by scooping a medium sized mamey into a bowl and adding:

1 t maca, 1 T mesquite, 1 t carob, 1/4 C cashew pieces and a pinch of salt

The cashews add a cruchy surprise. It may take a little searching to find mamey in your area but it’s worth the hunt. Asian markets, flea markets are you best bet. If you happen to be in Jax and visit the produce stand on Atlantic, ask if they have any mamey and also encourage them to carry organic produce.

mamey and me

Successful Sprouting II

Buckwheat Beans!

The gripping finale of this 2 part episode on sprouting quinoa and buckwheat.

Food Inc. showing in Jax

Boy did I get excited when I heard that the San Marco Theater in Jacksonville would be showing “Food Inc.” It great to see community support for informative media. I love an explosive action film as much as the next person but when you can combine entertainment and eductation in one package you got yourself a truly worth while experience.

JaxRaw Potluck June 27th

Pie Time!

For those of you who have watched the Banana Lama Ding Dong series, here is the event the pie was created for. There were tons of yummy raw cuisine at the potluck… good times and good food.

Banana Lama Ding Dong Finale

Part 3 in the epic saga of Crust, Filling and Chocolate Sauce. May the Bliss be with you.

Chocolate Sauce:
1/2 C agave
2 T cacao powder
1 T mesquite powder
1 T lucuma
1 T carob
2 t agave powder
1 T coconut oil
pinch of salt