almond butter | Raw Food Recipes

The Art of Flavour

Taste is the ability to respond to dissolved molecules and ions called tastants. Humans detect taste with taste receptor cells. These are clustered in taste buds. Each taste bud has a pore that opens out to the surface of the tongue enabling molecules and ions taken into the mouth to reach the receptor cells inside. There are five primary taste sensations:

1) SALTINESS Add a salty flavour to your food by using natural Celtic, Himalayan, and sea salts, but go easy on the portions. Even natural salts are not actually that good for us. You can also use nama shoyu (raw soy sauce), garlic “salt,” sun-dried tomatoes, and celery. Saltiness brings out all the other flavours to balance, especially anything sweet, so adding a dash to your chocolate recipes is a good thing.

2) SWEETNESS Sweetness balances the salty taste in your uncooking. Raw honey may be the first sweet flavour that comes to mind, but you can also use agave syrup, plain old fruit, maple syrup, dates and other dried fruits such as figs and apricots. Keep in mind that honey is not vegan, and maple syrup is not really raw. Both are better than refined sugar, however, and are packed with minerals and vitamins.

3) SOURNESS Balance salty and sweet flavours with a sour taste. A recipe containing these three flavours will provide great balance. For a sour taste use citrus juices, tamarind, raspberries, cranberries, pickles, tomatoes, rejuvelacs, and vinegars.

In general if your recipe has a good balance of the 3 flavors above, it is going to taste yummy!

4) BITTERNESS Generally speaking, bitterness is not desirable in large quantities, but it so happens that bitter foods and herbs can be quite healthy. They can also be tasty in the right quantity. Green tea and Okinawan goya (bitter gourd) are a case in point.

5) UMAMI Umami is a taste found naturally in seaweeds and is the response to salts of glutamic acid, like monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer used in many processed foods and in many Asian dishes. This stuff is definitely to be avoided, as is アミノ酸 (aminosan) found in far too many processed foods in Japan.

OTHER ASEPTS INFLUENCING FLAVOUR

A) AROMA Aromatics refer to the sense of smell, not taste, but they are closely related and influence each other. Aroma adds depth to flavours. Here are some aromatic ingredients to use in your uncooking: onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, celery, sweet peppers, ginger or galangal, citrus zest, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass. Aromatic herbs include parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, mint, etc. (fresh herbs are definitely better in the raw food context!) Aromas tend to come out far more when heating food, but do indeed apply to raw food preparation. Hot peppers and such like those listed below are also aromatic.

B) SPICINESS (HEAT) Spices add a combination of the above flavours, but also add different levels of heat, if not at least a “bite." Add dry spicy ingredients before marinating to balance the flavours better. Use oil to bring out the taste of dried herbs and spices. Items that add heat include black pepper, curries, chilis, cayenne, hot paprika, cumin, raw garlic, wasabi, cloves, tumeric, coriandar, mustards, etc.

C) CREAMINESS This is more of a texture than taste, but if all the spice is getting to be too much, a little nut mylk or kream can do wonders. No wonder so many hot Asian curries have coconut milk in them!

Too spicy? Add some sweetness or creaminess
Too sweet? Add some sour or spiciness
Too sour? Add sweet
Too bland? Add salt or some spiciness
Too salty? Add sour
Just needs a spark? Add acid or one of the aromatics added at the end of cooking, or just a touch of heat (spiciness)
Too harsh? Try just a touch of sweetness

Posts Tagged ‘almond butter’

Chia Fruit Delight

July 17th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

This is a truly delightful, nutritious, fruit-oriented dessert. Add more fruit, nuts, or any of your favorite ingredients or “toppings” for a customized taste experience. Also try adding natural extracts (vanilla, almond, orange, etc). I recommend Mila brand chia seeds. Pricier than other generic seeds, but high in quality. Recipe from Integrated Health.

Ingredients:

1-2 tsp Mila chia seeds
2-3 tbsp almond butter
1-2 scoops any green powder supplement (or other superfood)
1 apple (diced)
1/2 banana (sliced) (optional)
2 tsp raisins or dried cranberries (or other dried fruit) (optional)
1/2-1 scoop chlorella powder (optional)
1 tbsp agave (optional)
Handful of nuts (your choice)
Splash of nut mylk (your choice – or water)
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Water (filtered) to achieve desired consistency
1 cup fresh or frozen berries (your choice – optional)

Directions:

Chuck in your blender or food processor and turn mix away. Yummm.

Posted in Fruit Based Meals, Snacks, Sweet Treats

Tags: almond butter, apples, bananas, chia seeds, Mila, raisins

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Mila Chia Pudding

June 23rd, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

Mila is my chia seed brand of choice, as it’s so nutrition-packed, but if you can use other brand of chia seeds, whole or ground. Mila is micro-sliced as opposed to ground, which brings out the natural oils without damaging the seeds and makes the goodness of the seeds more readily available to the body.

Ingredients:

1-2 teaspoons Mila
1 scoop chlorella or other green powder
1 tablespoon organic almond butter
1-2 oz organic almond mylk (or other nut mylk)
Fresh or frozen organic fruit (apple, banana, berries etc.) (optional)
1-2 teaspoons Cacao Nibs (whole or ground) (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. You can use chia seeds whole or grind them in a nut/coffee grinder. For greater smoothness, add more almond milk, oat milk, fruit juice, or water.

Posted in Snacks, Sweet Treats

Tags: almond butter, cacao nibs, chia seeds, frozen fruit, green powder, Mila, nut mylk

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Live Chocolate Mousse

June 8th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe & photo from The Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:

3 Hass avocados (2 cups mashed)
1/4 cup plus 3 tbps raw agave nectar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbps raw cocoa powder
3 tbps raw almond butter
1 tsp lemon juice
a pinch ground cinnamon
a pinch ground nutmeg or cardamom
1/2 tsp flavored extract such as mint, cherry, orange, almond, hazelnut, or coffee, optional

Directions:

Purée all ingredients in food processor 3 to 4 minutes, or until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Transfer to bowls, and serve immediately. Serves 4. One new pointer I learned when making avacado-based mousses or puddings (check out my other post for chocolate pudding) from The Vegetarian Times is that it’s best to have avocados that are neither under ripe or too ripe, as the avocados could then well have super-strong avocado flavor. I’d previously assumed that he riper the better!

Nutritional Information for this recipe: Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 370, Protein: 5g, Total fat: 24g, Saturated fat: 4g, Carbs: 44g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 11mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugars: 29g

Posted in Raw Chocolate, Snacks, Sweet Treats

Tags: agave, almond butter, almond extract, avocado, cacao, cinnamon, lemon juice, orange extract

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Orange Sesame Salad Dressing

May 21st, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe and picture from The Raw Table

Ingredients:

1 cup orange navel segments
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp Herbs of Province
small nob of ginger, grated

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and run until smooth. This will stay fresh in the fridge for over a week. Great over a sprout-laden salad, as shown here. (baby tomatoes, greens, alfalfa, cucumber)

Posted in Dressings & Sauces

Tags: almond butter, ginger, herbs de province, honey, oranges, sesame oil, sesame seeds, vinegar

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Veggie Pâté

March 25th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe by Frederic Patenaude

Ingredients:

2 cups carrots, diced
4 tbsp almond butter, or tahini
2 tsp curry powder
sea salt, to taste (optional)

Directions:

Process all ingredients in a food processor. If a food processor is not available, grate the carrots and mix with the other ingredients. Enjoy inside lettuce leaves as a “sandwich”!

Posted in Dips, Spreads, & Pâtés

Tags: almond butter, carrots, curry powder, sea salt, tahini

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Raw Ranch Dressing

March 24th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe by Frederic Patenaude.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup tomatoes
juice from 1 lime
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 big sweet red bell pepper, or 1 small one
1/3 cup fresh dill
1-2 stalks celery
4 tbsp almond butter
(sea salt if desired — optional)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. The dressing is great without salt, but if you want a more intense version, you can add some sea sald and garlic.

Posted in Dressings & Sauces

Tags: almond butter, apple cider vinegar, bell peppers, celery, sea salt, tomatoes

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