apples | 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 ‘apples’

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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Apple and Raw Beet Slaw

May 22nd, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe by Kathleen Daelemans

I found a store near the station of one of my new employers that sells beets! Yippie! Beets are actually very hard to come by in Japan. Naturally, I’ve been looking into what I can do with them in their raw state. This is a tasty, quick & easy slaw!

Ingredients:

1 tsp grated ginger
1 pound beets, peeled
1 large Granny Smith apple, or similar flavored and textured apple
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp coarse grain celtic salt
1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
1 to 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a medium sized salad bowl, using a microplane grater (or the smallest holes of a cheese grater) grate the fresh ginger directly into bowl. Grate beets and apples, add them to the bowl with the ginger, and toss until ginger is evenly distributed. Add sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper to bowl and toss to coat evenly. Add olive oil, stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated.

Posted in Salads, Vegetable Based Meals

Tags: apples, beets, black pepper, celtic salt, ginger, olive oil, sherry vinegar

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Trine’s Apple Chocochip Cinamon Cookies

March 31st, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oat groats, milled into a flour
2 1/2 cups of walnuts, ground into a pâté
4 tbsp coconut flakes
2 tbsp cinnamon powder
4 tbsp vanilla extract
1 medium-sized apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into little pieces
cacao nibs – a few handfuls (to your taste)
2/3 cup of agave (or less if you want less sweet/drier dough to start with)

Directions:

First grind your oat groats and set aside. Then grind your nuts. If you can fit everything else into your processor you can just go from there, except for the apples, which you should stir last into the processor. Because I only have a mini processor, I grind the oats and nuts up in stages, and mix everything manually by hand. Easy enough! Dehydrate at least 8 hours, depending on what texture you like, and how moist your dough was to start with. (If you soaked your nuts, they will take more time!)

If you want less fat in your cookies, you can subtract nuts and add more groats. Oat groats are unfortunately not that easy to come by, especially raw. I love them, though! They have the added bonus of really making your bowels move. :)

Posted in Cookies, Dehydrated Foods

Tags: agave, apples, cacao nibs, cinnamon, coconut flakes, oat groats, vanilla, walnuts

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