Ani's Raw Food Essentials - Ani Phyo [8]
Pumpkin seeds
Quinoa
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
Wild rice
CEREAL
Oats are gluten free, but some are processed with wheat. If you’re allergic to gluten, check with your oat source to learn how it’s processed. I purchase raw whole oats by the pound. Oats are cooked during processing, so look for the label “raw” rather than “steel-cut” or “rolled” oats.
Oats, whole
DRIED FRUITS
I buy the following fruits by the pound and in bulk when available, except where noted. Cacao is raw, unprocessed fruit of the cacao tree and is where all chocolate comes from.
Carob is an alternative to chocolate that’s caffeine free and has a malt flavor.
Goji berries, small red berries from Asia, used traditionally in Chinese medicine, are high in vitamin C and taste sweet.
Dates ripen on the tree, and I prefer them fresh. But they are also available dried, too.
Cacao powder
Cacao nibs
Carob powder
Cranberries
Dates
Goji berries
Mangoes
Raisins
Sun-dried tomatoes
OILS
Oils are used to give a smooth consistency and add flavor. I prefer toasted sesame oil, which is obviously not raw, for adding Asian flavor to a recipe. I use such a small amount, it’s worth the rich flavor it adds for me. You can choose raw sesame oil instead, if you prefer. Some natural food stores sell oils in bulk, and I like to take in my own glass jars to collect it. Be sure to store sesame oil in the fridge, as it can go rancid quickly.
Coconut oil
Olive oil, extra-virgin, cold pressed
Sesame oil, toasted
SEA VEGETABLES
Sea vegetables come from the ocean. They’re full of minerals and iodine to feed our thyroid and help regulate our metabolism. Nori sheets are flattened seaweed laver used to make maki rolls. Kelp is pressed into noodle shapes to make nutritious kelp noodles that have only 6 calories a serving. There are many other seaweeds, such as hijiki, arame, and different lavers, which vary in color, texture, and flavor. Most are dried, and you reconstitute them by soaking them in water before using. I include nori, kelp, and wakame here because they’re the most common and easiest to find at natural food stores and online.
Kelp noodles
Nori sheets
Wakame
SWEETENERS
Agave and yacón are both low-glycemic sweeteners that are supposedly safe for diabetics. Yacón has even less sugar and calories than does agave, is deep in color, and has a rich consistency and a molasses flavor. Stevia is a plant whose leaves are dried and ground into a powder. Supposedly stevia doesn’t even register in the body as a sugar at all and may even lower blood sugar levels. It has little calories and is considered noncaloric. I like to use stevia in smoothies, but sparingly, as it has a strong flavor. If you prefer to use maple syrup, choose grade B, which is less processed and contains more nutrients than grade A does. It’s definitely cooked but provides a wonderful, unique flavor. Another cooked sweetener popular in the macrobiotic world is brown rice syrup, made from cooked rice inoculated with enzymes, which ferment to turn the starches in the rice into sugars.
Agave syrup
Brown rice syrup
Maple syrup, grade B
Stevia powder
Yacón syrup
DRIED HERBS, SPICES, AND FLAVORS
I make sure to always have at least a cup of the following dried herbs and spices on hand in my spice rack. Well, except for whole vanilla bean, which can be expensive. I just keep a few of them on hand in a sealed jar to retain moisture. I buy these in bulk when available and store them in small glass jars. Nutritional yeast has a cheeselike flavor, is grown for its nutritional value, and provides B vitamins 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12. It’s different from brewer’s yeast, which is a by-product of breweries and distilleries. You can find it in most health food stores, larger chain health food stores such as Whole Foods, or online.
Almond extract
Black pepper
Cayenne, ground
Chipotle chile, ground
Cinnamon, ground
Coriander, ground
Cumin, ground
Nutritional yeast
Oregano, dried
Rosemary, dried
Sage, ground
Sea salt
Thyme, dried
Vanilla extract, alcohol-
free, and/or