When you're starting out with any new type of cuisine, it takes a while to learn the "tricks of the trade"--the little shortcuts and strategies that save time and make food preparation a breeze. The following 12 tips will help you become faster and more efficient in the kitchen, so you have time for all the other things that are important to your life , they have been adapted from The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon one of the foremost raw food teachers .
Twelve Steps to Living Foods SuccessHere are some of my own "tricks of the trade"-
1. Always keep at least two jars of sprouted items in your refrigerator. Whether they're radish sprouts, clover sprouts or green pea sprouts, you'll be glad to have them on hand for tossing into salads or placing at the bottom of a soup bowl.
2. Always have sunflower sprouts (and buckwheat lettuce if growing your own) on hand. The most economical way to have them on hand is to grow them yourself. But, if that is not possible,consider buying them at a health food store.
3. Keep a jar of almonds or other favorite nuts soaking in the refrigerator. Change the water daily and they will keep, ready to use, for five days. (On the fifth day use them up in a salad, eat as is, as a crust or in a nut loaf, then begin the soaking process again.)
4. Make up a big batch of your favorite Pâté each weekend, and add different flavors to vary the taste during the week. Remember to begin the sprouting process on Thursday or Friday night. A pate made up of sprouted sunflower seeds (soak 8-12 hours and sprout 4 hours or less. Rinse well.) will last the longest.
5. Keep salad dressing ingredients on hand like tahini, oil, lemons, garlic and onions so that you can whip up salad dressings quickly.
6. Keep sauerkraut in your refrigerator. Once made, this tasty food will last for many weeks. It is a healthy addition to many recipes and makes a great condiment or side dish.
7. Always have assorted greens, root vegetables, red peppers and parsley in your refrigerator so that you can "throw together" a meal quickly. Keep a large bowl of seasonal fruit ready to eat on your counter or in your refrigerator. Whether you shop each night on your way home from work, or go to the farmer's market twice a week, buy the best, freshest organic produce that you can find that day and use it very soon after purchasing. (If you do not have the luxury of being able to obtain organic produce wash your conventional produce thoroughly, and don't worry about it-it is still far better to eat all fresh raw ingredients than to eat processed or prepared foods even if you can't have organic. There are lists online that will tell you the most sprayed/pesticide laden foods and the least so that you can have an idea of the more important foods to buy organic).
8.If you can, pre-wash all your produce before putting it away. Having to wash and dry your vegetables for each meal is time consuming. For one or two people, purchasing bags of pre-washed organic baby lettuces that contain a variety of greens is convenient and waste-free. Be sure all washed produce is thoroughly dried before refrigerating.
9. Make a large salad every night for dinner. Prior to putting dressing on, remove enough to use for lunch the next day. Store in an airtight container with a dressing on the side so the salad will stay fresh and crisp. (Or bring a small container of pate on the side to put atop the salad next day at work, or a small bag of your soaked nuts plus some dressing.)
10. Keep a piece of fresh ginger-root in your refrigerator and a backup piece in a plastic bag in the freezer. You can flavor foods and make tea by grating in a little ginger. Note that you should never let frozen ginger thaw.
11. Keep about a dozen peeled bananas in the freezer. Choose very ripe fruit, peel, and freeze them in plastic bags. They make wonderful "ice cream" and other frozen treats, including great morning smoothies like Vanilla Bliss.
12. To maintain freshness and for convenience, keep the following foods stored in your freezer: shelled nuts and seeds, dried coconut, grains, all dried herbs and spices. If you do not have room in your freezer, store the shelled nuts and seeds and bananas in the freezer, and the rest in the refrigerator. (Nuts and seeds still in their shell have a long shelf life and do not require refrigeration.)
By creating habits based on the above 12 suggestions you will find that you can arrive home at 6pm and be eating a fine dinner by 6:30pm
I drink a glass of vegetable juice before I go to bed......sometimes if I`m going in late to work or I`m on the road I have vegetable juice (usually green)about 11am.
If almonds are around I get a glass of fresh almond milk with papaya in it - nothing is as good.
I eat fruit until midday and I find that most people who say they are hungry eating fruit,eat A fruit and say they are eating fruit.
When I say I eat fruit for breakfast, I start from 7 a.m. and eat my grapefruit as I always start with citrus if I`m eating any that morning...If I don`t have any grapefruits, I eat a papaya,blueberries, sweet-sop,what ever is around, then I`ll eat melon around 10:00 a.m. or I`ll eat some pineapple which means a plateful not a slice. I don`t like bananas but raw foodists that eat bananas eat minimum 3 at a time. When its mango season I`ll eat mangoes all morning. Remember you have to eat lots of raw food to get the proper nutrition .
Just like how greens is not A lettuce-leaf, fruit is not A banana.
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