Raw- it's hot right now!

I'm thinking of a song by Edwin Starr from 1969, went a little something like this " Raw! Raw! What is it good for (boom, boom) Absolutley EVERYTHING, (say it again)  RAW!....'' You know it?

So, Raw is hot right now (oh dear, another song in my head... GET OUT!) but it's not new, it's just that more people are waking up to the benefits of this lifestyle. I also think it's not 'hot',  I think it's here to stay and will settle in at a nice 46deg C for the long haul. I look at how far it's come in the last 10 years since I started this journey, so many more books and movies and social media trends are just pushing it along. 

What I hope is that raw is enduring, that it's flexible. These days, people seem more ready to embrace concepts, if not complete lifestyles. Some raw foodists are dogmatically so, and that's great for them. I think there is a lot more traction to be gained by helping people take first steps and trying to change a few things rather than everything. It really is true that the good stuff starts to taste better and take over, but there's no rush. I'm raw, but I'm real, if I want a steaming hot bowl of lentil soup, goddam I'll have it! (OMG! She's serious? but aren't the lentils like, DEAD!!) 

I also have a chocolate addiction which I'm working on by making my own raw chocolate which I have to keep testing, thereby 'working' on my addiction.

So what I wanted to share here was a few items that you might want in your raw pantry, this will change and expand (over two kitchens if you're me!) but it's a start if you're not sure where to start.

vegetables	fruit	nuts	grains
avocado	apples	almonds	buckwheat
beets	blueberries	cashews	quinoa
carrots	bananas	brazil	kamut
celery	limes	macadamia	amaranth
cucumber	lemons	pecan
cabbage	grapes	pine	other
cauliflower	strawberries	walnuts	agave nectar
garlic	young coconut		braggs
kale	mango	seeds	cacao butter
mushroom	medjool dates	flax	cacao powder
onion		sunflower	coconut oil
parsley	dried fruit	hemp	celtic sea salt
parsnip	cranberries	pumpkin	maple syrup
s/d tomatoes	sultanas	chia	nutritional yeast
tomatoes		sesame	olive oil
zucchini			tamari (or nama shoyu if you can get it)
			raw honey
			jalapenos

Keep cool- tepid- baby! 

Raw food is not heated above 46deg c. ideally you will use a dehydrator. if you don’t have one, you can use your oven, just set it at the lowest heat of 50degc and have the door open a little. I lasted about 21 days with this method before I made the investment. I use Excalibur dehydrators, there are a couple of others out now which I haven't tried. They take up roughly the space of microwave but run deeper. Ditch the microwave! Dehydrators are an awesome investment for many things including making dried tomatoes when you manage to buy a 5kg box at the market, all kinds of fruits. I did a huge amount of veggies in it to go hiking. NOTE: you cannot use one of those old spiral dehydrators that are sold in department stores, they are exclusively for fruit and veg, if you're talking crackers and breads etc.., you need the real deal. Also great for warming up raw burgers and soups.

Break it Down- (It's Hammer time!) 

You will need a good blender and a food processor. for blending, I use the Vitamix and the Blendtech brands, the Vitamix is great for the way I do juicing because it breaks down the cell walls in an instant and releases all the goodness inside. I love the Blendtech for dips and sauces, but either will do both perfectly well. My Magimix is my trusty food processor, but I'm not into brands so much as function, so just get one you can afford that will do the work! 

There are many other gadgets that can be used in raw cuisine, such as a spiraliser and a mandolin, but you can acquire these this as you go on your raw journey.

There will be many more posts to come supporting your journey into raw, and there are many more blogs and sites to visit, and even if you're just dabbling- ENJOY, Food is meant to be enjoyed dammit!!