Don't Throw Away Broccoli Stems

Broccoli stems are as nutritious as the florets, but most throw away the stem thinking it's inedible.  If you're going to spend the money, especially if its organic, don't waste any of this vegetable.

The stem takes longer to cook than the florets, so you will want to dice it into small pieces.  Or puree the stem and "hide" the nutrition in a dark sauce -- perhaps one that is tomato based.  You can cut it into thin strips and add it to a slaw or add pieces to your kabobs!

Or enjoy it as a juice.  I put one orange and two broccoli stalks through my juicer the other day and it was great!

Whatever you decide to do with it, just try not to waste the perfectly fine nutrition.  You've paid for it, enjoy it!

Preserving Fresh Herbs Using a Dehydrator

Top of Nesco FD-75PR Dehydrator

I love mint and other fresh herbs, but sometimes find I can't use it all before it starts to go bad.

One quick way to preserve those herbs (and fruits and vegetables) is by using a dehydrator.

A dehydrator is similar to a slow cooker.  You can set it and forget it.  And if you go a little long, it's very forgiving.  For most things, you can place your items to be dried in the dehydrator in the evening and wake up to a finished product.

Fresh Mint on Dehydrator Tray

I did this with fresh mint the other day using our $60 Nesco FD-75PR dehydrator.  It works well for the price, creates a low hum when operating, and comes with five drying trays, though you can have up to twenty if you buy extra.

Raw foodists opt for the more expensive Excalibur (around $220) that offers a more even drying result and on/off timer.

As our kids were enjoying their dried pineapple pieces as a snack today (from the fresh pineapple I dried last week), I thought I would write a quick post and suggest a dehydrator as a way to preserve your foods and offer a preservative free snack option.

Mint Leaves After Dehydrating

If you already have one, how do you use your dehydrator?

Dehydrated pineapple chunks the kids love for a snack

Cacao or Cocoa Nibs

Some recipes call for cacao "nibs".  A nib is simply a small piece of the larger cacao bean.

Many people don't know that the cacao bean comes from a collection of seeds within a pod grown on the cacao tree in tropical regions.  It is surrounded by a sticky substance and locals call it a "jungle M&M".

The beans are cleaned and traditionally sun-dried.

Cacao Nibs

After they are dried, the bean can be ground into powder.  A "nib" is simply a small piece of the dried bean.  The nib is bitter with a coffee/ nutty taste.

Nibs are sometimes called for in cookies, smoothies, oatmeals, cereal, yogurt and more.  It's a great way to  add nutrients and antioxidants to some foods without adding the sugar and fat usually associated with chocolate.

Enjoy a few nibs (or grind your own from whole raw cacao beans) -- found at your local health foods store.

Cacao Tree

Cacao Pod 

Dried Cacao Beans

Cocoa or Cacao?

The cocoa vs. cacoa thing confused me.  A couple of years ago I passed up some great chocolate at the health foods store simply because I didn't understand the spelling.

Pronounced [ka-cow], cacao is how raw foodists pronounce the same exact thing you probably call cocoa.  Except, if you see or hear cacao,  it probably signifies a raw chocolate powder, sauce, bar, butter, etc.  And that difference is huge!

Chocolate carries a lot of nutritional qualities (in small infrequent quantities) and has strong antioxidant qualities.  Nutritionist and raw food advocate, David Wolfe, had a high-quality cocoa powder compared to that of raw cacao powder in a labratory and they found raw cacao to contain 367% more antioxidants.  Look for raw cacao (you can still say cocoa if you choose) powder at your local health foods store.

So why the difference in pronunciation and spelling?  Apparently most of the world refers to cocoa as cacao.  As legend has it, an English trader misheard and then mispelled the cacao bean and today (in the English speaking world) we have cocoa.

Most chocolate consumed in the United States is derived from cocoa beans dried by large high-heat ovens.  Raw cocoa beans are dried with heat of 100 degrees or less or sun-dried to retain it's full nutritional value.

So now you know why some say cacao and some say cocoa and why some seek out raw vs. processed.

Jicama Fries

Our family was introduced to Jicama (pronounced as hikema) today in a fun and creative way!  Fries!

As a side to our bison burger, we made raw jicama fries (without any frying, of course).

Jicama, similar to water chestnut in texture and closer to an apple in sweetness, is sometimes referred to as the "Mexican potato".  Most grocery stores of size carry jicama in a variety of sizes and reasonable prices. 

They don't taste anything  like a fried potato stick (french fries).  But, they did fool the kids in appearance (they thought they looked like cheese curls) and they did eat several of them -- and we're happy with that as it was a new food for us.  And feel free to dip them in ketchup (as our kids did) or eat as is (which we did).

There are countless ways to prepare jicama, but we used a recipe from the Boutenko book, "fresh:  The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook", page 91:

• 1 pound jicama sliced in french-fry shapes
• 2 Tbs quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. onion powder
• 1 Tbs. paprika
• sea salt to taste

Simple!  Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix with tongs (or your fingers) and plate!

If you haven't already, introduce yourself to the nutricious jicama.

Choose a 1 pound jicama.

Cut both ends off to create a flat surface.

Use a good knife to peel the jicama.

Slice the peeled jicama into 1/4" slices.

Cut each slice into fry-like shapes.

Toss and coat "fries" with oive oil and seasoning.

Finished and ready to plate.

Raw Cauliflower Salad

It was my wife's birthday today and I wanted to make a really nice meal for her and the kids.  We have been discussing lately the advantages of a raw diet and tonight I incorporated a raw cauliflower salad to serve alongside the main entree.

Why raw?  Heat degrades the nutritional aspects of food.  All raw food is prepared at temperatures of less than 110 degrees to maintain the foods total nutritional value.

I've started collecting raw recipes and rely heavily on the Boutenko's of www.rawfamily.com for advice.

Sergei and Valya Boutenko wrote a book of raw recipes titled "fresh:  The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook".

Had I served the cauliflower tonight as typical, I would have probably steamed the vegetable and then added some olive oil  and sea salt before plating it.  Tonight, I followed a recipe from the Boutenko's on page 61 of their book that was raw, cold, and absolutely delicious.

Cauliflower Salad (for two or three):

• 1/2 head organic cauliflower diced finely
• 2 Tbs quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. organic lemon juice
• 1/2 bunch green onion finely cut
• 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• Mix together and plate.

It was amazing and a salad we will be eating again and again.

Try serving your side vegetables raw at your next meal.  It's easier to make, more nutritious, and you just might like it better.

If you are interested in learning more about eating a raw diet or incorporating more raw foods into your daily diet, I would recommend visiting www.rawfamily.com.