I have embarked on a new adventure. Not bungee jumping or white water rafting. This is a different kind of adventure. One that involves raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains paired with fresh herbs and spices. My adventure began because I wanted to be healthy, have more energy and support my local farmers. Plus I thought it would be fun to try a new way of eating.

The raw vegetables I used to eat were mainly salads with lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. I was however eating a decent amount of cooked vegetables in pastas, and cooked grains paired with meat dishes. The thing is, when you cook vegetables and grains you suck a lot of the nutrients out. What’s the use in eating broccoli or spinach without the good stuff like chlorophyll and vitamin C?  Thus began my raw food adventure. (I call it an adventure so I don’t get cynical when I’m craving a juicy filet mignon and french fries).

My two biggest worries when I started were:

1. I like hot food.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and brings back memories of eating homemade pasta in my grandmother’s kitchen.
2. Vegetables can be boring, fruits can be sugary and grains don’t have a lot of taste.

I stopped worrying after I discovered unique and delicious raw food recipes in the cookbook, Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman with Erika Lenkert.  Juliano includes recipes for raw pizzas, pastas, burritos, stir fry and many more yummy dishes. Granted, they aren’t the dishes made from ingredients you’re used to but that’s part of the fun.

For my first dish from Juliano’s cookbook I made a stir fry without the “fry”. Some of the ingredients  include daikon, zucchini, nama shoyu (live soy sauce - I found this at Whole Foods), “sprouted” brown rice (rice that isn’t cooked fully to preserve the nutrients), fresh ginger, zucchini, red peppers, beets, green beans, fresh squeezed orange juice and several other fresh herbs, vegetables and dressings that I normally wouldn’t have put together. What’s great about this recipe and a lot of other raw food dishes is they give the impression of being “hot”  by including foods like red peppers, jalapenos, fresh ginger or garlic. The finished product was absolutely delicious and I wasn’t tired and stuffed after dinner. I felt good. What a concept?

If you want to learn more about the benefits of raw food, visit Planet Raw and buy Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life. If you’re not one for preparing meals at home, go to a raw restaurant near you. Cru in Los Angeles is delicious as is Pure Food and Wine in NYC.