The Raw Chefs Recipe Series

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Recipes

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The Raw Chefs Recipe Series

Copyright Russell James, The Raw Chef. No part of this book may be produced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publisher. The right of Russell James to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs & Patent Act 1988. Conditions of sale This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. First Published by Russell James, The Raw Chef, in Great Britain in 2008 This second edition published in July 2012 by Russell James russell@therawchef.com www.therawchef.com Disclaimer The techniques and advice described in this book represent the opinions of the author, based on his experience. The author expressly disclaims any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a result of using any of the techniques, recipes or recommendations suggested herein. If in any doubt, or if requiring medical advice, please contact the appropriate health professional. Design by Promo Design

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Introduction

HESE five recipes are all very dear to me. They represent an early part of my

career as a raw chef, and all have stories attached to them. Of course, as Ive

learnt new things Ive updated and improved them, so theyre even more satisfying then when I first served them. The tomato and mozzarella linguine was first served as a starter at a raw food dinner party I hosted in conjunction with The Fresh Network, in Soho, London. We hired a little vegan restaurant called Vita-Organic and sold out the 35 seats very quickly seems people were ready to eat raw food in a restaurant setting in London. It went down a storm and I even had one person come up to me a couple of months ago saying how she remembered that dish as, the best raw food dish I had ever tasted. Praise indeed considering it was one of those recipes that just came together at the right time on the night. And the best thing is you dont need a dehydrator to make it! That night we also served lasagne, for which youll find the recipe in this eBook. Ive added an extra layer to the original recipe, giving it a meaty walnut layer, but you can leave that out if you think its going to be too nut-heavy for you. This is such a great recipe to make for friends, raw or not, and will last for a few days in the fridge. Its also great for making in a big lasagne dish and taking to pot-lucks, if thats your thing. Im particularly happy with the buckwheat bread as its helped so many people stay raw and, I believe, provides a real alternative to bread that will enable you to feel like youre really eating a proper sandwich. Its also great for getting a couple of slices and raiding the fridge for leftovers to make a sandwich Scooby Doo would be proud of. Some of my favourite meals have come from throwing together leftovers to create something that would have otherwise not been created.

continues

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The wilted kale and chipotle salad is a bit of a classic. This is a spicy and slightly sweet dish thatll allow you to actually enjoy eating lots of dark greens. Just as a little tip: try substituting one avocado for a few tablespoons of tahinidelicious. Finally we have the chocolate torte. What can I say about this little dessert that hasnt already been said? The recipe has changed very little since serving it at the very first Fresh Network raw dinner party in Cambridgeshire all those years ago and it still continues to keep people up into the night if eaten too late, so beware! Enjoy these recipes, whatever stage youre at with raw foods. Theres something for everyone here, so get stuck in, dont be afraid to experiment, and I hope to be able to meet you personally one day. In service,

Russell James

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What is raw food?

HEN I first heard about people that ate only raw food, I couldnt get my head

round it. It seemed really extreme, like some fad diet or some totally

unnecessary extension of the idea that fruits and vegetables are good for us. Then, through various means, I started to hear about raw foods more and more and realised there was a whole lifestyle based around it that isnt so extreme at all. Contrary to what I thought, it didnt mean I had to stop washing, join any kind of cult, grow my hair long or become a hippy. It also didnt mean I even had to give up all my cooked food and eat completely raw; I realised I could just start bringing more and more raw foods into my diet as I felt comfortable. I mean, everyone knows that fruits and vegetables in their natural state are good for you, so any extra I could get in would be a bonus. What actually happened though was that as soon as I started experiencing the benefits, tied with the fact that I had started meeting some really wonderful people in the raw food world, I really felt as if I wanted to go all raw. Youll sometimes hear raw food called the raw food diet, but as Ive alluded to here, its not so much of a diet in the traditional sense, as it is a lifestyle. Sure, lots of people are able to lose weight, but its quite unique in that many people come to it for all sorts of reasons, including a variety of health concerns, because they want extra energy, or they are simply curious about what effects they will experience by eating food the way nature intended. Does this mean you have to eat EVERYTHING raw from now on? Absolutely not! My philosophy is to add raw foods to what you are already doing, and find the level thats right for you.

continues

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So back to the original question: what is raw food? The easiest way to describe it is to say that raw foods are free from animal products and havent been heated over the critical temperature that its thought most of the enzymes are lost (around 118 degrees F). When we heat food even higher, we then start to lose other nutrients such as the vitamins, minerals and other proteins. What are enzymes? Enzymes are made up of various proteins and are part of every one of your body functions, including sight, hearing and, most importantly in this case, digestion. Simply put, without enzymes we dont function. We have enzymes that our own body produces and we also get enzymes from the food we eat. And this is the critical point: if you eat food with the enzymes still intact then your body doesnt have to overwork to use the enzymes it produces to digest that food. There are many different types of enzymes so nature has done a wonderful job by placing within each type of food exactly the type of enzymes that are needed to digest that particular food. Im not a nutritionist so what Ive learnt is through my own research; theres so much more information out there about why raw food is nutritionally superior and suited to our bodies, and will give you much more information and insight than I can in this short space I urge you to go out and read plenty of it. So raw doesnt necessarily mean that the food hasnt been heat treated it just hasnt been cooked in the traditional way. By using processes such as dehydrating, juicing, sprouting, blending and food processing its possible to eat an exciting and varied raw food diet; you may even attract some positive interest from your friends and family! If youre looking for a great introduction to raw food, I really recommend you check out The Raw Food Coachs How To Get Started With Raw Foods. It will definitely get you off to a flying start if youre new to all this, but will also teach you a thing or two even if youve been around a while. Click here to check it out. Its part of my mission to bring recipes and food to the world that helps present raw food in a way that seems exciting, mouth-watering and accessible. Its all really about moving towards what you want, not away from what you dont want.

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By far the biggest category of question I get is asking about raw food equipment. Questions such as, "what's the best dehydrator" or, "do I need a Vita-Mix?" So I've put together this list of my top 7 pieces of equipment to get started on raw food. You can then pick and choose based on your resources... 1. A Sharp Knife & Good Chopping Board I don't know if you've noticed but you're going to be doing a little more chopping of fruits and vegetables than perhaps you're used to :-) By far the most important equipment you can get is a SHARP knife and a good chopping board. If you try and start off this lifestyle with a blunt knife you will be miserable lol. I say that with my tongue in my cheek but there's definitely a serious point to be be made here chopping with a dull (blunt) knife is going to take you so much longer to do anything, and there's actually more of a chance you'll cut yourself because of having to push too hard. Once you get yourself a nice new sharp knife from a manufacturer such as Mac, Henckels or Wusthoff you'll wonder how you ever managed with your old blunt knife that's been clattering around in the drawer for years. I really love using wooden chopping boards, particularly bamboo. 2. A Mandoline I'm not talking about the musical instrument here, I'm talking about the piece of equipment that slices things paper thin, giving amazing results as far as presentation is concerned. It will allow you to turn things such as beets (beetroot) into thin slices for beautiful ravioli. The best part is that it's QUICK to use and it's very low in costs... I've found that the most expensive ones aren't always as good as the cheaper ones too. So you don't always get what you pay for here. I like to use use the Joyce Chen mandoline, or any of the ones you can find online (including eBay) that are a similar style.

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3. A Turning Slicer (Spirali) A good turning slicer will make really nice long 'noodles' or 'spaghetti' out of vegetables such as zucchini (courgette), jicama, parsnip and carrots. It's also another really quick piece of equipment to use, giving you impressive-looking food with very little effort or skill required. Again, I've found that the more expensive turning slicers you find in restaurants aren't as good as the home versions. I also don't like the top loading spiralisers as they give pasta strands that are too thin, ending mushy and soggy. The brand I like is the Spriali, found online. 4. A High-Speed Blender The staple high-speed blender for the raw foodist is the VitaMix. Another good alternative is the Blendtech, which I haven't got much experience of, but people I know who do have them swear by them. But do you really need one? I mean, they are a big investment, so you want to know if it's worth it, right? The Vita-Mix is one of those peices of equipment I use everyday. I really does have the potential to change things for you. It's so easy to whip up a 'green smoothie' by blending some spinach, mango, lemon juice and a little pure water. Just being able to do that and know you'll feel amazing after drinking it can be a life-saver. It's also amazing for turning nuts into cream, giving you so many options as far as making sauces and dips is concerned. If you can stretch to a Vita-Mix they really are worth it. 5. A Nut Milk Bag Nut milk bags are great for making creamy nut milk. All you have to do is blend up 3 cups of water and 1 cup of almond or brazil nuts that have been soaked for 4 hours, then pour it into the nut milk bag and squeeze! You'll end up with a bag full of nut pulp that can be used in other recipes and a glass of beautiful nut milk that can be sweetened up and made into milkshakes, amongst other things.

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6. A Food Processor A food processor is used for things that are thicker than would be appropriate for the Vita-Mix. Things such as breads, pates and cracker mixes are all great for the food processor. This is one of those items that you get what you pay for. I used a cheaper model for years and it lasted me really well, but they I moved up to the Cuisinart, which is more expensive, but also a really nice piece of kit to use on a daily basis. A lot of people have had great success just using a very cheap hand blender which is also great for traveling. 7. A Dehydrator Another one of those pieces of equipment I get asked about ALOT. You don't have to a dehydrator but it does give you an extra dimension to what you do. You'll be able to create crackers, breads, lots more desserts, macaroons...the list goes on. The Excalibur dehydrator is pretty much the staple dehydrator amongst raw foodies but I really like using the TSM brand (pictured). It looks much nicer in the kitchen, is quieter than the Excalibur and is generally more pleasant to use. I would advise buying a cheap probe thermometer with it though as the temperature markings aren't too specific, but using a thermometer in the whole provided on the front door of the TSM unit you can easily keep an accurate temperature. Remember you don't have to run out and buy all this stuff straight away. Take your time with it, work out what resources you have and really get to know one piece of equipment before moving on to the next. All the most fantastic equipment in the world is no good if it just sits in a cupboard and doesn't get used! :-)

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Tomato and Creamed Macadamia Pasta

MAKES 5 STARTER-SIZE PORTIONS LINGUINE
500g carrots (4 medium-sized), peeled 500g parsnip (4 medium-sized), peeled tablespoon salt 15 large basil leaves, cut chiffonade 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 2 cups baby plum tomatoes, cut into small sections

CREAMED MACADAMIAS
cup macadamias cup cashews 1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or Tamari 2 teaspoons lemon juice cup water 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

RED PEPPER SAUCE

cup pine nuts 1 red pepper tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu or Tamari

METHOD
Turn the carrot and parsnip into thin strips with a mandoline, then cut lengthwise with a knife to achieve linguine stips. Alternatively you can can make spaghetti with a spiralslicer. In a bowl combine the vegetable pasta (linguine) you have produced with the salt and mix well by hand. Leave to stand whilst preparing the mozzarella. Combine all mozzarella ingredients in a Vita Mix or food processor (a Vita Mix isn't a food processor, it's more of a blender but no other blender that I know of is suitable to make the cheese so an 'ordinary' processor is the next best thing). Blend until a creamy texture is achieved, you may need to add a couple of tablespoons of extra water to get it all to mix. Set aside.

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Mix all Red Pepper sauce ingredients in a Vita Mix or blender until smooth (blender is ok for this at the mixture is saucier :-) than the cheese). Again, you may need to add water to get a 'sauce' consistency. Go back to the linguine and you should find that it has released it's water and is now softer and has a cooked 'al dente' feel about it. Wash the salt off and dry with kitchen towel or a salad spinner. Transfer linguine to a clean, dry bowl and add the remaining linguine ingredients. When thoroughly mixed add the macadamia cheese and mix again by hand to coat all linguine in the cheese mixture. Serve with the Red Pepper sauce.

Id love for you to join me on this 10 week course, which can be taken online, on DVD, or both should you choose to take advantage of this special launch offer I have for you.
No more, I dont know what to eat No slipping back into bad habits because youre bored with the food you make Save money and time of trial and error

Tip: You can build the pasta up in a metal ring available from most cookshops and then remove the ring so you get a pasta tower, drizzling the sauce around the edge of the plate.

I love the videos. It was a huge help to see the construction of recipes. I felt as if I were in a classroom. Evelyn Bess

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Lasagna
SERVES 9 NUT CHEESE
1 cup macadamias, soaked 4 hours cup pine nuts 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 2 tablespoons fresh parsley 1 tablespoon fresh thyme 1 teaspoon salt cup water as needed

Process all ingredients together adding as little of the water as possible until a fluffy consistency is achieved.

WALNUT MEAT LAYER

1 cup walnuts, soaked 1 hour or more 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 hour or more 2 tablespoons dark/brown miso 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons dried sage 2 tablespoons nama shoyu teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon sea salt

Grind all ingredients in a food processor, leaving the mixture slightly chunky.

TOMATO SAUCE
1 cups sun dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 hour or more 2 soft dates 1 clove garlic 4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1 tablespoon dried oregano teaspoon salt or to taste (depending on how salty your sun dried tomatoes are) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Process in a food processor until smooth.

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Learn how to make a variety of breads and cheese that will keep you going during the week Transform your salads into amazing creations that your friends and coworkers will want to steal No more looking up soaking, sprouting and dehydrating charts and worrying about doing everything perfectly

GREEN PESTO
2 cups tightly packed basil leaves cup pine nuts or walnuts cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 2 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Process all ingredients, leaving plenty of chunkiness!

SPINACH LAYER
3 big handfuls torn spinach 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons sea salt

Place all ingredients in a bowl to marinade and wilt for 1 hour or longer, putting the covered bowl in a dehydrator will help this process but its not essential.

FOR THE ASSEMBLY

3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and marinated in 2 tablespoons of salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil for 10 minutes. Black pepper

Line the base of your dish with a layer of the courgette strips that slightly overlap On top of this put down a layer of the walnut meat, then the cheese, then tomato sauce and finally the pesto on top. Finish this with another layer of slightly overlapping courgette strips. Repeat step 2 but before adding the final layer of courgette, take your wilted spinach and create an additional layer with that. Placing the whole dish in the fridge for several hours will firm it all up slightly which will make it easier to cut into portions. Garnish individual portions with black pepper and a sprig of basil.

discover the raw chef in you! He makes raw food prep easy and fun, and his recipes are beyond delicious! Angela Thompson

Russell James helps you

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Tip: For slightly more impressive looking lasagna; build individual portions on the plate instead of assembling in a large dish. This is what I did to create the lasagna in the photo.

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Buckwheat Bread
MAKES 18 SLICES
cup olive oil 1 cups sun dried tomatoes, soaked 1 hour 3 cups sprouted buckwheat (2 cups dry & unsprouted) 1 cups flax meal (ground flax seed) 3 cups peeled zucchini, roughly chopped 2 apples, cored and roughly chopped 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 avocados 1 large onion cup minced parsley

In a processor grind the olive oil, sun dried toms (removed from the soak water), sprouted buckwheat, courgette, apple, lemon juice, avocados, onion and herbs until thoroughly mixed. In a bowl mix the batter with the flax meal by hand. The reason you do this separately (not in the processor) is that you are likely to have too much mixture for the size if the processor at this point, and when you add the flax meal it will become quite heavy and sticky and overwork your machine. When mixed, process the whole batter in the machine again, in small batches to achieve a light fluffy texture. Divide the mixture in 2 and place on Paraflexx sheets, on dehydrator trays. Use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly to all 4 sides and corners of the Paraflexx sheet. If mixture is too sticky you can wet the spatula to make things easier. With a knife score the whole thing into 9 squares. Dehydrate for 2 hours and then remove the Paraflexx sheets by placing another dehydrator tray and mesh on top and invert so that your original sheet of bread is upside down. That will allow you to peel the Paralexx sheet off and continue to dehydrate the underside of the bread. Dehydrate for approx 8 hours more (do this overnight so youre not tempted to eat it before its ready) or until bread feels light in your hand. If the pieces dont fully come apart where you scored, use a knife to cut them.

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CASHEW MAYO
1 cup cashews 2 tablespoons lemon juice teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons chopped onion cup water

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

FOR THE MUSHROOMS PICTURED

Cut portabello mushrooms into thick 1cm wide strips. Marinade them for a couple of hours or overnight in equal parts of tamari and olive oil. Arrange them on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate overnight.

Learn how to get the best from each and every piece of kitchen equipment you own (even the ones that have been gathering dust) Learn how to speed up your raw food preparation by learning professional knife skills, adapted for you to use at home Learn how to take your health to the next level with elixirs and fermented foods

The Homestudy Course is excellent. I love the detail Russell puts into his teaching. His recipes are fantastic and have inspired me to get back to raw eating. Raw food can be very confusing for beginners but not with Russell. He takes you by the hand and leads you through a very detailed course with effortless ease. For me the most wonderful thing was that when I tried a recipe from his course I had no outstanding questions why? because he covers EVERYTHING you could wish to know. Thank you Russell for making it all so easy!" Teresa Joughin

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Wilted Kale Salad with a Creamy Chipotle Dressing

FOR THE WILTED KALE
2 heads kale 2 teaspoons salt 2 cups baby tomatoes, sliced 1 cup hulled hemp seeds

FOR THE DRESSING

2 avocados 1 chipotle pepper, soaked for 2 hours 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 dates 2 teaspoons lemon juice Water if needed

Remove the stems and then wash and cut the kale into small pieces. Place into a bowl, add salt and start to massage the kale until it wilts and takes on a cooked texture. Add the tomatoes and hemp seeds to the bowl and mix in by hand. Blend all remaining dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy and mix into kale by hand.

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Vanilla Chocolate Torte with Ginger & Strawberry Cream

MAKES A 9 TORTE FOR THE CRUST
1 cups pecans cup raisins roughly chopped 2 tablespoons coconut oil/butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon Pinch salt

First process all dry ingredients, being sure not to overprocess nuts. Add coco butter and vanilla extract and process again. Press into the bottom of 9" springform pan and place in fridge whilst working on filling. Note: Before making the following chocolate you should place 1 cups of grated cacao butter in the dehydrator at 125F to melt. Alternatively you can melt it in a bowl over another bowl of hot water.

FOR THE FILLING

2 cups cashews, soaked 20 minutes 1 cup water 2 cups cacao powder 1 cups grated cacao butter, melted 2 tablespoons vanilla extract cup maple syrup 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Blend the cashews, water, vanilla, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a vita-mix until smooth. Add cacao butter and cacao powder, and blend again. Pour chocolate mixture onto base and use a spatula to achieve a level surface. Place in fridge for 3 hours to set.

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FOR THE GINGER CREAM

1 cup cashews 2 tablespoons coconut oil/butter 2 tablespoons xylitol 1 tablespoon fresh ginger Pinch ground clove 2 teaspoons vanilla Water as needed

Place all ingredients in a processor and blend.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE:

1 cup strawberries 2 tablespoons lemon juice teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a processor and blend.

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Further Information

For more information, free recipes and to see what other services I offer visit www.therawchef.com Whilst youre there you can sign up for my eZine News From The Kitchen where you'll get a message from me every Thursday answering your raw culinary questions, and giving you tips tricks and tips to help you along this raw food path. I also send out free recipes, videos and occasional special offers that I think will be of benefit to you. Many people have commented that they cant believe I give this stuff away for free, so I advise you get yourself on the list and see what you think.

For more regular updates about whats going on in my world, some simpler recipes that dont make it to the eZine and general updates about whats going on at The Raw Chef HQ, you can visit my blog at www.therawchefblog.com. You can just drop by there whenever you feel like it, or you can sign-up to receive updates from that via email or RSS feed.
The Raw Food Desserts Recipe Binder The Raw Food Homestudy System How To Be Your Own Raw Food Chef... And Still How To Be Your Own Raw Food Chef... And Still Have Time To Eat! Click here to find out more. Have Time To Indulge! Click here to find out more.

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Russell Online The Raw Chef Academy

Learn how to make these recipes directly from Russell online. Structured lessons that can be accessed online at any time of the day or night, so they'll always be there when you need them. Click here to find out more.

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Having healed himself from acne, Russell quickly got excited about the vibrancy and creativity of raw foods and the health benefits they could bring to others. With a desire to bring it into mainstream awareness in a way that is fun and modern, he set about following his passion, at first as a hobby. Marrying his newfound passion for creating healthy food with his artistic nature which had been with him as a child through to art school - he started posting pictures of his food on his blog. Russell discovered techniques and a natural ability to create beautiful raw recipes from widely available ingredients and started teaching people in his local area. News spread and Russell soon found himself teaching people from all over the UK and even people from other countries in Europe and the US, who would travel to come and be taught by him. Russell has now taught thousands of people about raw food through his classes, online courses, DVDs, eBooks and at guest instructor appearances. Russells passion is to show you that far from feeling restricted on a raw food diet you have an abundance of options, whether that being eating raw sandwiches all week or putting on a showstopping dinner party for friends.

You can also connect with Russell here:

www.therawchef.com/facebook www.twitter.com/russelljames www.twitter.com/therawchef

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