Ani's Raw Food Essentials - Ani Phyo [9]
beans
THE ESSENTIAL RAW FRIDGE
These are the items I like to keep stocked in my fridge to make it easy to whip up any recipe in a snap. The following items all have a relatively long shelf life. Fresher vegetables and fruits, I like to buy as needed and as in season, per whatever recipe I’m making.
NUTS AND SEEDS
I buy flaxseed and meal by the pound. I buy tahini, which is mulled sesame seeds, and almond butter by the jar and store them in the fridge to extend their shelf life. Look for the label “raw,” as these are usually made with toasted seeds and almonds. Other fun butters to explore are made from other nuts and seeds such as pumpkin, cashew, walnut, and pecan. I include tahini and almond butter because they are the most common and easiest to find. Thai baby coconuts can be found at most natural food stores and co-ops. I like to buy them by the case of nine at the natural food store or at an Asian market. They keep for a couple of weeks.
Almond butter
Flaxseed and meal
Tahini
Thai young coconuts
CONDIMENTS
Condiments will keep indefinitely, so I have these in my fridge at all times. I’d recommend starting out with the smaller sizes to see which you like the taste of best. They go a long way. Bragg Liquid Aminos is a gluten-free salty sauce similar to soy sauce but has a slightly different flavor and is supposedly raw. Nama Shoyu is a raw soy sauce that has not been pasteurized. Miso contains probiotics and is a fermented and cultured food. Miso comes in different flavors, including white, red, and brown. White is the mildest and easiest to use, because it doesn’t affect the color of your recipes. I like to buy apple cider vinegar containing the filament “culture” inside it to show it’s raw, alive, and full of probiotics and enzymes. Store all condiments in your fridge.
Apple cider vinegar
Bragg Liquid Aminos
Miso, unpasturized, white
Nama Shoyu
FRUITS
Olives will keep for up to six months or longer in your fridge. I prefer black olives because they are the most common to find online and occasionally at health food stores. Buy them pickled, using sea salt rather than table salt. Sea salt is raw and healthier for us because it is dried ocean water; table salt is chemically created. I always keep at least a pound of dates on hand. Shelf life in the fridge is up to six months, or one year frozen. They dry out, so keep them sealed. I store four or five lemons and a few limes in the fridge, as they keep for a couple of weeks; and a couple of avocados, which will last for a week or more in the fridge. Buy other fresh fruits as needed per recipe.
Avocados
Black olives
Lemons
Limes
Medjool dates
Other in-season fresh fruits
VEGETABLES
Onion and garlic will keep for weeks, so I always have them in my produce drawer. Jalapeño will keep for a week or two, and I keep one or two on hand. I always buy whatever greens look great at the farmers’ market, then figure out what to make when I get them home. Or, you can also buy greens as needed per recipe.
Garlic
In-season greens and lettuces as needed, such as collard, kale, and romaine
Jalapeño
Onion, red
Onion, yellow
FRESH HERBS
When in season, fresh herbs are always the way to go. They will only keep for a week at most, so buy as needed per recipe. Use half the amount of dried when out of season, since dried is stronger than fresh.
In-season fresh herbs, as needed, such as basil, thyme, and rosemary
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
I’ll give you the basic tools you need, along with the essential understanding of how to create interesting textures and delectable flavors, so you can start creating your own unique recipes.
I’ve spent fifteen years learning about the art of live foods, and one of the things I’ve discovered is that anyone can learn to make delicious raw foods that are simple to prepare yet sophisticated in flavor and presentation.
BACK TO THE BASICS
In this book I’ll tell you all you need to know to enjoy making fast, easy, delicious, healthy food . . . every day. Once you get down the basics, you can then