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raw stars [Vegetarian Times](Vegetarian Times Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) If you can't stand the heat... stay in the kitchen. You can keep your cool and still prepare delicious, healthful, and surprisingly satisfying meals. Here, five raw foods superstars share their wisdom-and some favorite recipes. Herbed Macadamia-Älmond Cheese MAKES 2 CUPS CHEESE BASE 1 cup raw macadamia nuts 1 cup blanched almonds V* tsp. probiotic powder ADD-INS V* cup minced red onion V* cup chopped parsley V« cup pine nuts 2 Tbs. chopped chives 2 Tbs. chopped dill 2 Tbs. lemon juice 1 tsp. sea salt V« tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 | To make Cheese Base: Soak macadamia nuts and almonds in filtered water 6 to 8 hours. Drain. 2 | Blend soaked nuts with 1 cup fresh filtered water and probiotic powder in high-speed blender until smooth and creamy, adding more water if necessary. 3 | Line small colander with damp cheesecloth, allowing several inches of cloth to drape over sides. Set colander over dish to catch liquid, and pour creamy nut mixture into cheesecloth. 4 | Fold excess cheesecloth over top of nut mixture, and place in a warm (not hot) location to ferment. After 2 hours, place a can or cup filled with grains or seeds on top of cheese bundle to help press out excess liquid. Let ferment 8 to 12 hours more; check every 2 to 3 hours, and drain off excess liquid collecting in dish, 5 | Transfer Cheese Base to bowl, and stir in all Add-Ins. Cover, and store in refrigerator up to 1 week. PER 2-TBS. SERVING 130 cal; 3 g prot; 13 g total fat (2 g sat fat); 4 g carb; 0 mg chol; 123 mg sod; 2 g fiber; the trailblazer CHERIE * SORIA When raw foods became a fad in the 70s and '80s, crudités, salads, and juices ruled. It was a hard sell for most people, who tended to view the trend as an exercise in grim chewing and slimy swallowing. In the '90s, Cherie Soria changed all that. As a chef focused on healthful vegetarian cooking, Soria met Ann Wigmore, founder of the Natural Health Institute in Puerto Rico, who was treating cancer, diabetes, and heart disease patients with wheat-grass juice and raw and probiotic-rich foods. Impressed with these patients' health progress, Soria was dismayed by their dropout rates. "People couldn't stick to the diet because it was completely bland," she says. "In order to feel excited about eating, we need contrasts in flavor and color and texture and dimension. So I decided to create a cuisine around these principles." A pivotal moment for Soria came when she realized she could re-create a favorite food she'd given up long ago: cheese. "I devised a technique that allowed me to combine nuts and culture them in such a way as to create real cultured cheeses," she says. The secret ingredient: probiotic powder. In 1998 Soria, who's now 67, founded the Living Light Culinary Institute in Fort Bragg, Calif., America's first raw cooking school. She's the de facto emissary for the raw foods movement, and raw vegan cheese is her calling card. "It shows that you don't have to think of raw foods as just shoots and roots," she says. Mushroom-Bulgogi-Filled Daikon Wraps SERVES 8 3 Tbs. nama shoyu or tamari sauce 2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. agave nectar or brown rice syrup, divided 1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil 1/2 Tbs. minced garlic 1/2 cup grated Asian pear (about Y2 medium pear) 4 cups sliced shiitake, oyster, or portobello mushrooms 1 3-inch-diameter daikon root, scrubbed and very thinly sliced (about 64 slices) 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar 11 Whisk together nama shoyu, 2 Tbs. agave, sesame oil, garlic, and grated pear in medium bowl. Add mushrooms, and use hands to massage liquid into mushrooms to soften. Set aside to marinate 20 to 30 minutes. 2 | Place daikon slices in medium bowl, top with remaining 2 tsp. agave and vinegar, and marinate 20 to 30 minutes. 3 | To serve: Drain excess marinade from mushroom mixture, and mound in center of shallow serving bowl or large plate. Arrange daikon wrappers around filling to serve family style, so diners can assemble their own wraps. PER SERVING (8 WRAPS) 46 cal; 2 g prot; 1 g total fat (<1 g sat fat); 9 g carb; 0 mg chol; 192 mg sod; 2 g fiber; 6 g sugars © the global guru ANU PHYO Glamorous, glowing, and global, Ani Phyo is the poster girl for the modern raw foods diet. The author of six cookbooks, including Ani's Raw Food Essentials, she's also a champion weight lifter, a wellness consultant, and an eco-stylist. Phyo's a big fan of improvisation-and of lightening up. "Use what you have and what works for you," she says. "For instance, if you have a wheat allergy, use tamari instead of nama shoyu, even though the tamari has likely been cooked. It's no big deal." A frequent world traveler, Phyo has also learned to lighten up when accepting food served by others. "For eight or nine years, I was totally convinced that everything had to be 100 percent raw, but that created another layer of stress for me," she explains. "Now I'm cultivating an attitude of gratitude, and recognizing how lucky we are that in this country that we can afford to choose or reject food because it's organic or cooked or raw." Raw Pad Thai Noodles SERVES 6 NOODLES 2 12-oz. bags kelp noodles, drained ¼ cup cold-pressed olive oil, divided 2 Tbs. lemon juice ½ tsp. sea salt 1 small red bell pepper, julienned (1 cup) ½ red onion, thinly sliced (Vz cup) 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (V* cup) ½ cup snap peas, halved lengthwise ½ cup torn fresh basil ½ cup torn cilantro 1 Tbs. lime juice 1/3 cup crushed raw almonds or cashews 1 Tbs. black sesame seeds, optional SAUCE ¼ cup dry-pack sun-dried tomatoes 2 Tbs. olive oil 1 Tbs. lime juice 2 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tsp. coconut sugar 2 tsp. nama shoyu or tamari sauce ¼ habanero chile, seeded 1¼ tsp. finely chopped lemongrass 1½ tsp. grated fresh ginger ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper ¼ cup almond butter 5 pitted dates 11 To make Noodles: Soak kelp noodles in warm water in medium bowl 10 minutes, then rinse and drain. Return to bowl, and stir in oil, lemon juice, and salt. Let marinate 1 to 2 hours. 2 | To make Sauce: Cover sun-dried tomatoes with hot water in small bowl. Let soak 1 to 2 hours, then drain. 3 | Combine all Sauce ingredients except almond butter and dates in high-speed blender. Blend until almost smooth, but with some texture. Slowly blend in almond butter and dates. 4 | Toss bell pepper, red and green onions, snap peas, basil, cilantro, and lime juice with Noodles. Mix in Sauce, and top with almonds and sesame seeds, if using. PER 2-CUP SERVING 323 cal; 6 g prot; 24 g total fat (3 g sat fat); 24 g carb; 0 mg chol; 312 mg sod; 5 g fiber; 16 g sugars the cyberstar JASON * WROBEL Chef and YouTube personality Jason Wrobel has set up camp at the corner where raw food meets fun. Breeze through his Web site at jasonwrobel.com, and you'll see he's not taking anything too seriously. His videos are hilarious, his Instagram feed irreverent. Now he's carrying his bright, bold vibe to TV on the Cooking Channel's How to Live to 100 series. All the strict raw food orthodoxy? Forget it. Wrobel isn't preachingin fact, he offers some cooked vegan fare along with his wondrous raw creations. "People don't like to be lectured at or told they're doing something wrong with the way they eat. I prefer to encourage people to experiment with and explore new foods and recipes to see what works for them. What works for one person's body might not work for you. However, I do think we can all benefit from eating more fresh raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds." Oat and Cashew Thumbprint Cookies with Berry-Chia Jam MAKES 20 COOKIES COOKIES 2/3 cup raw cashews 2 Tbs. melted coconut oil 2 pitted dates ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 pinch Himalayan salt ¾ cup raw or rolled oats JAM ½ cup berries 3 pitted dates, cut into small pieces 1 Tbs. chia seeds 1 | To make Cookies: Combine cashews, coconut oil, dates, vanilla, salt, and 1 tsp. water in food processor; process 2 to 3 minutes, or until thick, chunky paste forms, scraping down sides two or three times. Add oats, and pulse until mixture starts sticking together. 2 | Roll dough into 20 small balls (about 2 tsp. each), and place on baking sheet. Make thumbprint indentations in center of each ball. Refrigerate 2 to 6 hours, or until firm. 3 | Meanwhile, to make Jam: Process berries, dates, and 3 Tbs. water in food processor until mostly smooth, but with some chunks. Transfer to small bowl, and stir in chia seeds. 4 | Fill each cookie's indent with V-h tsp. jam. (Reserve leftover jam for another use.) Store in single layer in sealed container in refrigerator. PER COOKIE 63 cal; 2 g prot; 3 g total fat (2 g sat fat); 8 g carb; 0 mg chol; 8 mg sod; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugars © the un-baker EMILY * VON EUW Emily von Euw likes to keep things light and easy. Still, at age 20, she's established herself as the raw pastry chef to watch through her blog, thisrawsomeveganlife. com, and her recently published book, Rawsome Vegan Baking. Her approach to food can honestly be described as sweet simplicity. "Since there's no cooking involved, it takes a lot of complication out of the equation," she says. "There's no need to worry about things baking weird, burning, or undercooking. Plus, there's a lot less prep and mess and cleanup." Instead of juggling bowls, pans, and oven settings, von Euw concocts most of her recipes in a blender or food processor. Instead of butter, eggs, and flour, she uses dates, nuts, and coconut butter. Because who needs artery-clogging shortbread cookies topped with buttercream frosting when you can have Oat and Cashew Thumbprint Cookies with Berry-Chia Jam? Enjoy! the multi-tasker CHAD * SARNO When it comes to raw foods, what hasn't Chad Samo done? He's opened six restaurants in three countries, served as Woody Harrelson's personal chef, and co-authored Crazy Sexy Kitchen with Kris Carr. Today, he's VP of plant-based education for the Rouxbe Online Culinary School. "As a restaurant chef, my drive was to create menu offerings with the most sublime flavors and textures, and use the most sophisticated techniques to build elaborate dishes," he remembers. "I then joined Whole Foods Market, which really brought my recipe development down to earth. It made me much more aware of what can realistically be done in the home kitchen and it made my dishes more approachable for the home cook." To get the most from raw cooking, you need to adhere to the three Cs: chop, crush, and chew. These actions break down the cell walls in the plant fibers so the body can get the most benefit from the nutrients within. The human mouth is designed to handle much of that, but certain kitchen tools help get a jump on the process. "Ultimately, you don't need any special equipment to prepare raw foods other than a good knife-understanding just basic knife skills is essential-but to build out your kitchen for comfort and contrast, consider adding a few tools," Sarno says. Check out his suggestions (right). * HIGH-SPEED BLENDER This will help you achieve the creamiest textures in sauces, soups, dressings, and cheeses along with shakes, juices, and mixed drinks. Vitamix and Blendtec are good options. * FOOD PROCESSOR Any decent food processor will handle chopping, mincing, and grating, as well as creating coarse sauces, pâtés, relishes, and other condiments. Cuisinart, Robot Coupe, and Magimix are good choices. * MANDOLINE The razor-sharp blade creates paper-thin slices of vegetables that can be used for pastas or wraps. * MESH BAG Use it to strain nut milks and cheeses. * DEHYDRATOR This is the raw-foods oven, used to create crackers, breads, cookies, tortillas, candies, dried snacks, and flavored sugars and salts. If you buy one, be sure the heating element is in the back of the unit so that warm air circulates evenly through the box. Excalibur and Sedona are two reliable brands. THE RAW und THE COOKED Raw foods do incredible things for your body. They deliver live enzymes that help your body digest food and fight off inflammation. They also offer plenty of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecules used by every cell to produce energy in the mitochondria. When you eat raw you feel energized because you are energized. No wonder raw-foods advocates are, ahem, all fired up about their diet. So why not all raw all the time? The truth is that cooking offers some big benefits too. For one thing, it puts some incredibly nutritious foods on the menu that would be otherwise inedible-like beans and grains. Cooking kills molds and microbes, as well as naturally occurring toxins within plant foods themselves. And heat renders some nutrientsespecially members of the vitamin A family, such as the lycopene in tomatoes-more bioavailable. (c) 2014 Active Interest Media |