oranges | 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 ‘oranges’

Red Delicious Fruit Shake

August 10th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

a 15min., 75 calorie recipe from Fresh Food Recipes

Fight free radicals and stimulate circulation with this berry tasty drink

Ingredients:

56 blueberries
6 raspberries
3 strawberries
18 black grapes
a banana
1/2 slices
1/2 orange

Directions:

Chuck all the fruit into a blender with some ice cubes and whirl away. Pour the smoothie into a glass and garnish with raspberries that you have kept aside. Personally, I don’t count the berries – way too lazy!

Posted in Drinks & Smoothies

Tags: bananas, blueberries, grapes, oranges, raspberries, strawberries

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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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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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Green Papaya Pudding

April 14th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe by Frederic Patenaude.

Ingredients:

2 cups papaya
2 oranges
3 dates
2-3 cups spinach, or other greens of your choice

Directions:

Blend in papaya and oranges together until the mixture is liquid. Add in the other ingredients and blend until thick!

Posted in Fruit Based Meals, Snacks, Sweet Treats

Tags: dates, oranges, papaya, spinach

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Green Papaya Pudding

March 14th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

recipe by Frederic Patenaude

Ingredients:

2 cups papaya
2 oranges
3 dates
2-3 cups spinach, or other greens of your choice

Directions:

Blend in papaya and oranges together until the mixture is liquid. Add in the other ingredients and blend until thick!

Posted in Fruit Based Meals, Snacks, Sweet Treats

Tags: dates, oranges, papaya, spinach

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Fruit Mush

February 20th, 2010

Cathrine-Mette (Trine) Mork

You can make this with pretty much any combination of fruit, but this one is a winner!

Ingredients:

flesh of one small papaya
flesh of one yonashi (western pear; not Asian/Chinese/Japanese)
one peeled and sectioned orange

Directions:

Put the fruit in a blender and pure until you have a nice, fresh pudding! You can try this with other fruit, too, particularly fleshy type fruit such as mangos, peaches, etc. Yum!

Posted in Fruit Based Meals, Sweet Treats

Tags: fruit mush, oranges, papaya, pears, yonashi

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