culinary delight packed with antioxidants - raw chocolate with goji berries

Raw dark chocolate contains one of the highest levels of antioxidants per serving – more than blueberries, for instance.

A bit of chemistry:

• Antioxidants are reducing molecules that control or stop oxidation during metabolism, i.e. ‘catch’ free radicals that are generated during some necessary and useful internal oxidation processes.
• among the antioxidants are:
  • ascorbic acid, vitamin C
  • tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E)
  • carotenoids – (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein)
  • flavonoids – over 5000 natural occurring -
    • anthocyanins
    • Polyphenol antioxidants
    • Quercetin
    • Catechins, i.e. Cocoa theobroma cacao

These are all natural ingredients (in varying proportions)  in colorful plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Polyphenol antioxidants are found in many phytonutrient containing foods: legumes such as beans, and peas; fruits such as apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, grapes, pears, plums, raspberries, and strawberries; and vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, celery, onion and parsley; also in red wine (resveratrol), chocolate (only in bitter dark choc), green tea, olive oil, bee pollen (honey) and many grains.
The chemistry ends here.

Antioxidants have to be experienced to appreciate them fully.

The full beauty of antioxidants reveals itself through the impressive colors of some raw foods.

radishes with shelled hemp seeds

tomatoes are a source of lycopene - a powerful antioxidant

red onions - containing flavonoids such as anthocyanins and quercetin

carrots, red cabbage, and parsnips - a mix of carotenes

So, anytime you see some colorful raw fruits or raw vegetables – be assured that these are good sources of antioxidants – and enjoy them first visually and then by eating them.

It arrived yesterday afternoon by one-day special delivery.

brand new food processor

This machine looks really well designed and professional.

It comes with a variety of grating blades, and a knife attachment, for various tasks.

practical storage drawer for the chopping attachment

When it comes to conventional cooking, I am a fan of Jamie Oliver  – I just love his relaxed fun approach to preparing food. And I want to bring the same energy into my raw food meals.

Back to the point – this is a good opportunity to start a series of articles about essential kitchen tools, for following a raw food lifestyle.

The Number One Powertool for preparing raw meals is a good food processor or blender. As much as I like to chop and cut things by hand, there are many occasions where the job gets done much better and faster with one of these machines.

The food processor should be able to slice and grate vegetables – fine and coarse – and to blend them into a rough or smooth mix.

The first basic method is slicing.

The vegetables are washed, peeled if neccessary, and then thinly sliced. For added effect, they can be neatly aranged on a some fancy crockery which matches the occasion.

raw salad - sliced veg with raw hemp seed butter

Sliced vegetables – and the same counts for fruits – look especially appetizing if they have a variety of colors and textures.

The slicing can be done by hand with a sharp kitchen knife, or more convienient and for larger amounts – if you don’t mind the washing up – with a food processor with slicer attachment.

coleslaw with red cabbage, carrots, parsnip - sprinkled with sunflower seeds

‘Raw Food is the Ultimate Fast Food‘ – this coleslaw is prepared in less than 10 minutes.

Ingedients:

1 cup shredded red cabbage;
1 large carrot, grated;
1 medium parsnip, grated;
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped;
1 red chili pepper, finely chopped, to add a bit of zing;
1 tbsp cold-pressed hemp seed oil;
1-2 tbsp shelled sunflower seeds;
a pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt and ground pepper, to taste.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Serves 2 to 4.

If you are not following a raw food lifestyle, you can substitute the hemp oil for 2 tbsp of mayonnaise – and serve the coleslaw as a side dish with baked potatoes.

The red cabbage is an excellent source of antioxidants; together with the other ingredients, this coleslaw is packed with fibres, vitamins, and unsaturated fatty acids.

fresh fruit salad with kiwis, apples, grapefruit and mango

Get some fresh fruit from your local supplier or supermarket, and start cutting:

1-2 kiwis, peeled and cut into bytesized cubes;
1 large apple, cored and sliced;
1 mango, peeled and cut from the stone, diced;
1 grapefuit, peeled and cut;
1 handful of seedless grapes.

Arrange nicely in a bowl – serves four.

cinnamon flavoured cereal bar with nuts, seeds, figs and dates

These little cereal bites are great as a snack inbetween or when you out and about. And they are super-tasty – and also quite healthy as a source of complex carbohydrates, fibres, and unsaturated fatty acids (omegas).

Here is the Recipe:

½ cup pecan nuts and walnuts (ratio 3 to 1)
½ cup figs and dates (ratio 3 to 1)
¼ cup goji berries (soaked and drained) and raisins (dry) (ratio 2 to 1)
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup rolled oats
1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoons organic raw almond butter
1 tablespoon organic honey
1 tablespoon raw Agave nectar
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ tablespoon vanilla essence
½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of ground allspice and nutmeg

1. Chop nuts, figs, dates and raisins (to about the size of somewhere between rice grains and small peas). I prefer to chop them by hand, but you can use a food processor – just don’t overblend.
2. Transfer chopped ingredients into a big mixing bowl.
3. Drain goji berries, add everything to the big mixing bowl and mix with a spoon. The mix should feel like very sticky breadcrumbs.
4. Press mixture into a small mould (about 15mm, 2/3 of an inch thick) onto a greaseproof sheet.
5. These ‘Winter Spice Cereal Bars’ can be eaten as they are (soft and chewy) or better dehydrated at 45°C for 4 hours. To dehydrate them, place them onto a tray and put into an oven at 45C (ideally a fan-assisted electric one), and keep the oven door slightly opened.

These cereal bars will keep well for a few days in an airtight container.

We are going to present ideas, information, and insights on how to live healthy without depriving youself of enjoying food and freshly juiced drinks.

living a healthy lifestyle

Focus will be on raw foods and vegatarian recipes that will be easy to recreate.

If it is no fun – don’t do it.

All articles are written from personal experience and are presented as educational information only. If and how you use them is your own personal responsibility.

This is not a medical site – therefore the full disclaimer here again:

This website is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services. It provides general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and should not be used in place of a consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. If you believe you have any health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition, you should consult your physician or other healthcare provider.

All recipes are presented as guidelines only -if you have any allergies or digestive intolerances, it is your own responsibility to check if the ingredients are suitable for you.