chia seeds | 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 ‘chia seeds’

Basic Chia Pudding

September 5th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe by Gena Hempshaw of Choosing Raw

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole chia seeds or MILA
2 cups almond milk
Tiny dash salt
Stevia (or other sweetener) and vanilla extract to taste

Directions:

Simply mix the ingredients together, and let them rest for a few moments. Stir the mix well with a fork every five minutes or so. At first, it’ll seem far too liquidy, but over the course of thirty minutes the chia will plump up, and the pudding will resemble tapioca pudding. Makes 3-4 servings.

Posted in Mylks, Snacks, Sweet Treats

Tags: almond mylk, chia seeds, Mila, sea salt, stevia

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Tropical Chia Smoothie

August 8th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

This recipe only takes a few minutes and is a great way to start a summer’s day!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peeled, chopped mango
1/2 cup peeled, chopped papaya
1 cup orange juice
1 chopped, medium banana
1/2- 1 scoop of MILA (If you don’t have access to MILA, you can use 1-2 tbsp of whole chia seeds)

Directions:

Blend everything together in your food processor and drink! You can wait a few minutes for the MILA t thicken the smoothie if you like it that way. You can also add ice!

Posted in Drinks & Smoothies

Tags: chia seeds, mangos, Mila, orange juice, papaya

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Raw Energy Gel

July 28th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe by Diane and Michael and The Vibrant Kitchen

Ingredients:

¼ cup raw agave
2 dates pitted
2 tablespoons Mila seed (chia or salba)
½ cup water
½ teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch sea salt

Directions:

Mix the Mila with the ½ cup of water and place in the blender or Vitamix container. Add the agave, lemon zest, lemon juice and sea salt and mix on high for 1 minute. You can adjust the portion amounts as needed (easily double or tripe the recipe.) Place in small sport gel squeeze bottle and sip on as needed during exercise.

Posted in Drinks & Smoothies, Snacks

Tags: agave, chia seeds, dates, lemon juice, lemon zest, Mila, sea salt

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Mila Miso Gravy

July 23rd, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe from Diane and Michael and The Vibrant Kitchen

Ingredients:

¼ cup raw mellow or white Miso
1/3 cup cold pressed organic extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
½ orange, peeled
1 tsp Mila seed + 2 tablespoons water
3 pitted dates

Directions:

It is important that you mix Mila (chia seeds) with some kind of liquid. If the recipe you are using does not have much thin liquid in it you will need to add water so it is not drawing vital fluids from your body in order to digest the Mila. Place ingredients in blender or Vitamix as listed and blend until smooth. Makes 4 servings. Will keep for four days in the refrigerator.

Posted in Dressings & Sauces

Tags: chia seeds, dates, garlic, Mila, miso, oranges

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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 Bars

July 8th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

This is a different genre of healthy snack, a way to get your greens without them tasting overly ‘greens’ if you know what I mean. This recipe is from Integrated Health.

Ingredients:

6 ounces raw organic almonds
1/4 – 1/2 cup walnuts
1-2 tablespoons Mila chia seeds
1/4 cup dates, raisins, or other dried fruit
2-3 scoops of nutritional powder (such as chlorella, spiralina, nutritional yeast, rice bran solubles, etc.)
a golfball size hunk of coconut oil (about 1-2 tablespoons if oil is in liquid form)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor and then pour mixed ingredients in a glass dish and pat firmly. Cover and refrigerate. Cut into cubes (or other shapes) and enjoy! Place in freezer for a firmer bar. You can also experiment with different nuts, dried fruits, and/or add fresh fruits (e.g., berries) or even organic cacao. Be creative!

Posted in Snacks, Sweet Treats

Tags: almonds, chia seeds, coconut oil, dates, Mila, raisins, walnuts

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