Pad Thai- Raw!

Raw? "What on earth does that mean?" You may ask.  I was first made aware of raw foodists when I myself was vegan. It is exactly what it sounds, a raw food diet consists of raw, uncooked, unprocessed foods. I will first tell you the reasoning behind it and then show you that eating raw doesn't mean eating salad with no dressing day in, day out. The coolest thing about this recipe? Its use of kelp noodles.. I had never even heard of them before. They do not need cooking and are very low in calories.

I hate to break it to you but that delicious gas station doughnut isn't actually food. The dictionary definition of food is "A nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, in order to maintain life and growth." Unfortunately, the sugars, flours, preservatives and food dyes of our 99 cent doughnut are so far from their natural states that the body actually doesn't know how to process them and if enough of these processed foods are consumed, our bodies get sick. Sick with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic disorders, and even general exhaustion and moodiness. The food we eat should nourish us in the long term, not make us sick and fat.

Basically, the western diet can lead to many people being "Over fed and under nourished." And that's where raw food comes in. Raw, uncooked, unprocessed ingredients are as close to nature as they come. A bell pepper grew on a bush, not a doughnut. Eating things as close to their natural form is that they are likely to be rich in enzymes, vitamins, minerals, essential fats and fiber. The very things that make food, FOOD. These micro-nutrients aid in cell repair, help maintain energy levels and are anti-inflamatory. Raw foodists keep food raw because even the cooking of vegatables can break down the enzymes and nutrients. I'm not sawing never eat a delicious pastry ever again but minus the 3 minutes of satisfaction you get while eating it, it can be harmful to your health, making you sick and tired. And I personally ,want you to have an amazing, healthy, energy full life. So indulge but balance it out and eat lots of the good nourishing stuff.

Pad Thai- RAW 

Marinated Mushrooms (my favorite part) 
       1 tablespoon agave or other liquid sweetener
       2 tablespoons olive oil
       2 tablespoons Tamari or soy sauce
       2 cups mushrooms, sliced (shitake are amazing)

Pad Thai Sauce 
      1 cup almond butter
      1 cup coconut milk
      2 teaspoon ground tamarind (red paste in Asian section of most stores, omit if you can't find it)
      2 teaspoon  pureed ginger
      1 teaspoon siracha
      1 clove garlic
      2 teaspoon Tamari or soy sauce
      1 tablespoon agave
      1 lime, juice from

Veggies
      1 carrot, shredded 
      1/2 red pepper, diced
      1 cup sliced pea pods
      2 cups mung bean sprouts
      2 scallions, thinly sliced
      1 mango, diced
      2 cups kelp noodles
      marinated mushrooms (from above)

 

Marinate Mushrooms: Mix together sweetener, olive oil, and soy sauce. Pour over sliced mushrooms and marinate. This can be done the night before for more flavor. Set aside. 

 

Place all sauce ingredients in high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth **Alternatively you can whisk with a fork (that's what I did) Drain and pat dry the mushrooms. Mix together with the rest of the veggies in a large bowl. Mix in sauce, 1/2 cup at a time to taste. Enjoy! Nourish your body!

*For more raw food recipes check out the site I got the recipe from: www.rawmazing.com

Sesame Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna with Soba Noodles

From growing up in Hawaii, I have a very deep love for all kinds of sashimi (raw sushi fish usually salmon and tuna). I often dream about making it at home and if I wasn't scared to death of making myself ill from eating raw fish, I would probably make this dream a reality almost EVERY DAY. Because I don't trust myself or the likes of raw fish that has been sitting on grocery store selves for questionable periods of time... I thought that the ultimate compromise might be in searing the fish. This way our bacterial friends die and we get to get to enjoy the butter delights of sashimi like fish. Sounds like a great compromise to me!


For Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna:

                   2 Ahi Steaks cut 1 inch wide by about 3/4″ thick
                   2-3 Tablespoon of olive oil
                   2-3 Tablespoon of white sesame seeds*
                   2-3 Tablespoon of black sesame seeds*
                   1 teaspoon of kosher salt
                   1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
                   1/8 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)
                                 *You can use all  black or all white sesame seeds

Remove the Ahi from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before you intend to cook it. Using your hands, rub the outside of the Ahi with the olive oil to coat it evenly on all sides. Mix the seeds, salt and optional red chili flakes in a small mixing bowl. Toss in the olive-oil coated Ahi and to coat it evenly with the seed mixture. Heat a saute pan over high heat (See #2 below) until it is very hot. Add the Ahi. Sear for 1 minute and 30 seconds per side. Remove the Ahi and slice thinly to serve.

Shitake Mushroom Soba Noodles: 

                 1 lb shitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
                 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
                 1 tablespoon mirin (japanese cooking wine)
                 1 tablespoon soy sauce
                 1 lb buckwheat soba noodles
                 1 tablespoon gingeroot, minced
                 1 large carrot, diced
                 1/2 lb sugar snap peas, sliced
                 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Put a medium pot of water to boil. Combine the sesame oil, mirin, and soy sauce with a whisk in a bowl. Lightly oil a pan on medium eat and saute mushrooms till browned on all sides. While the shiitakes are grilling, place the soba noodles in the boiling water and simmer for about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles and put them to the side. In a wok or skillet over medium-high heat, add a small amount of sesame oil. Add the ginger and saute. When the ginger releases its fragrance, add the carrots and cook for about one minute. Add the sliced snap peas and incorporate with the ginger and carrots. Once the peas are warmed through, remove from the heat and reserve warm. Add the soba noodles to the sauteed vegetables. Add a dash of extra soy sauce, if desired, and mix to thoroughly combine. Garnish with seared tuna and green onions sliced in long, thin, narrow strips. Enjoy!

Poor Man's Pad Thai

Like most people, I love pad thai. Thus I have sought a means of making it at home that is quick and easy. This recipe is the simplest homemade pad thai you'll find and chances are you'll be able to make it without buying a bunch of exotic ingredients that you can't use for anything else (which I've found is a downside to cooking many Asian dishes- I mean how many uses do you have for fish sauce?).

Poor Man's Pad Thai

Ingredients:

       one package rice noodles (can substitute other kinds of noodles like fettuccine pasta)

       3 eggs

      *Optional Enhancers: carrots, onions, broccoli, purple/red cabbage, shrimp, chicken etc.

  sauce:

       2 Tbs soy sauce (or fish sauce if you have it)

       2 Tbs ketchup

       1/2 cup sugar

       1 Tbs minced garlic

       1/2 cup oil (peanut or vegetable are good)

       *Optional for spice: 1 tsp saracha (rooster sauce) or other spicy sauce or red pepper flakes

 garnish:

       peanuts

       mung bean sprouts

       cilantro

       sliced lime

 

Cook rice noodles in boiling water, drain, mix with a little oil (so they don't stick) and set aside. Scramble and fry eggs, chop into little pieces and set aside. Mix the "sauce" ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large pan (or wok), with some oil and garlic, saute whatever else you want in your pad thai. I like my pad thai with some broccoli, cabbage, onions and carrot and sometimes chicken or shrimp. Once these ingredients are well cooked add half of the rice noodles, all the egg and sauce to the pan. Mix well on medium low heat and add more rice noodles as you deem necessary (more noodles= drier pad thai. I like mine a little "saucier") Enjoy!