Bagnola

There's nothing like a delicious bowl of raw granola to start your day off right. This Bagnola (inspired by a let's-pull-everything-out-of-the-cabinets-and-see-what-happens-when-we-mix-it-together moment - you know those moments) can be eaten like trail mix or enjoyed in a fresh foamy bath of raw nut milk. The buckwheat groats are supposed to be crazy good for you, and add a cereal feel. I always get grossed out when I soak and rinse them, because the soak water is full of gooey slime, but if you go to a safe place in your head and squint your eyes really hard while rinsing, it's not too terrible. I also envision all the residual goo magically evaporating during dehydration. Don't you dare tell me that's a unicorn idea.

Bagnola

1 cup buckwheat groats, soaked 30 m, rinsed and dehydrated until dry, crispy and goo-free (for you with your fancy dehydrator, maybe 4-6 hours, for us, a loooong time in a very slow oven)

1 cup goji berries

1/2 cup mulberries

1/2 cup almonds, crushed into bits

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup dried blueberries

1/4 cup cocoa nibs

some chopped dates, if you want to get fancy, or sweeter

The sweet chewiness of the mulberries balances out the crunchiness of the groats and muskiness of the goji berries, and the coconut and blueberries add a little more texture and flavor zing. (The cocoa nibs just add... well, cocoa. My theory is chocolate goes in/with everything.) Throw in a container and shake.

Carry on the go as a snack, or blend 1/4 cup raw almonds, cashews or pecans (soaked/rinsed/dehydrated, if you're into that) with 1 cup pure water, and douse a hearty bowl of Baghnola. I bet if you mixed in some sort of adhesive-y material, like banana, you could dehydrate and make trail mix bars... science project for the fall.

Snack on This: Curry Sesame Seeds, Garam Masala Cashews and Chili Macadamias

Flavored sesame seeds - like kale chips (which have reached rock star status in 2011) - seem to be for sale all over the place. This is because, like kale chips, they're pretty damn delicious. But, they're expensive, so I wanted to make my own. And, I happened to have on hand an obscene amount of raw sunflower seeds. Why? Half advanced planning, half crazed hoarding. Every time I'm out of Baghdad, I fill my suitcase with food. Since I'm never sure how long it will be until I can get more raw cocoa and maca powder, coconut, sunflower seeds, goji berries, mulberries, agave and crack (I mean Nama Shoyu), I tend to ... let's say stock up. Amazon selling everything in bulk doesn't help (six bags of coconut in one go? Why not?) This is how I ended up with something like twelve pounds of raw sesame seeds stuffed in a kitchen cabinet in Baghdad. One can only eat so much sesame butter (which we have to make in tiny half-way-to-butter batches in our coffee grinder due to broken food processor situation.)

Flavored seeds and nuts, as it turns out, are incredibly easy to make. All you do is toss with flavoring and a bit of agave date syrup or maple syrup, then dehydrate. We use our oven as a dehydrator (it has amazing 30 and 40 degree Celsius settings and a convection fan setting), but in a normal dehydrator I think you'd go 6-8 hours.

Riffing on the same theme, I made some garam masala cashews, which all mysteriously disappeared from my desk drawer before I had any (eh hem, Ahmed.) I've also had delicious chili macadamia nuts, which are made the same way - toss with agave date syrup or maple syrup and chili powder, then dehydrate. Invest in really raw nuts, especially cashews if you can (Navitas sells them). Because of something or other to do with how the nut is extracted from the shell using heat, apparently many raw cashews aren't actually raw, they're just not roasted post-shell cracking. Also, since 2007, apparently American raw almonds aren't really raw, but pasteurized, but they're allowed to label them as raw anyway. Check out One Lucky Duck for really-raw almonds from Spain.

The flavor difference between "raw" nuts and really raw nuts is amazing. You won't regret it.

Curry Sesame Seeds / Garam Masala Cashews / Chili Macadamias

A big bowl of raw sesame seeds / cashews / Macadamias

A few tablespoons of curry powder / garam masala / chili powder

A tablespoon or two of agave date syrup or maple syrup - enough to make them sticky and the powder latch on

Mix up well; adjust curry and agave to your taste preference. Spread on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate 6-8 hours, or until no longer wet and sticky. Don't over dry. Store in a Ziploc - will keep for several weeks. Don't leave in your desk drawer if colleagues sneak in and eat your food.

Speaking of Mango...

Since you mentioned mango, I wanted to tell you - What's that? You didn't mention mango? You said "your housing extension is confirmed?" I could have sworn you said mango.

Speaking of mango, I've been meaning to tell you about my most favorite ever in the whole wide wild world life-altering amazing salad. I started making it a few years ago in Ghana, and it has never gotten old. It's so good that I've tried to spread it around the globe like I'm paid to promote it. Like I'm the leader of a mango avocado cult and have committed myself to preaching its virtues. By day I masquerade as an office worker, but by night I change into a mango avocado superhero outfit and brandish a cutting board and knife. It's beauty is in its simplicity:

Mango Avocado Salad

1 ripe mango

1 ripe avocado

a bunch of chopped fresh cilantro

a tiny squeeze of lime, if you must

The key is the ripeness. You want a today mango and a today avocado - not tomorrow, not a few days from now. In Ghana, this is how you buy them: today? or tomorrow? They sell them at stands next to each other in beautiful piles of possibility. Perfect ripeness will make a perfect salad. Trust the ladies selling them: they know today from today. You also want them to be roughly the same size, so they're equal players in the final game. The cilantro should be fresh and fragrant.

Ghana, by the way, is a raw food paradise. The papayas are enormous. The tomatoes taste like tomatoes. The oyster mushrooms may make you blush. The streets are paved with coconuts. The pineapples taste like coconuts. The tiny bananas are little pieces of heaven. The peppers are hot and powerful. The cocoa is plentiful. The kelewele - plantain roasted with ginger - isn't raw, but when its smell lazily drifts over the dark streets at night, it will make you want to sing.

Chop the mango and avocado into equal size chunks - just enough to fit on a fork (to do this easily with the avocado, cut in half, jiggle off each side from the pit, score the chunks, then peel away the peel and let them fall into the bowl. You do sort of the same thing with the mango, only it's a bit messier.)

Sprinkle with cilantro. Toss. Eat. Begin converting others.

Taking It to the Next Level

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to take this little thing we have going to the next level. Sara is a genius, and her genius came today in the mail. This blog is about to sprout.

We Are Not &*$#@*^ Around Over Here

Once the thought of making burnt-caramel-sea-salt-chocolates came up, it was hard to think about anything else. It was difficult to move on. Challenging to focus. Substantive topics were being overlooked, tossed out like empty plastic water bottles (into the recycling bin, of course). It was like an elephant in the room - big, silent, awkward, all-consuming, absolutely intriguing and mildly exciting.

Sara finally took matters into her own hands and did something about it, and the result was pretty amazing. It's still a main focus in apartment 108, but at least now there's something to both obsess about and put in our mouths. The caramel doesn't really freeze, so next time we may do them bon-bon style rather than layering the chocolate and caramel in the mold. But the end result is the same - chocolate-y, caramel-y, salt-y, coconut-y yum.

They taste a lot like Caramel Delight (or Samosa) Girl Scout cookies - good recipe to keep on hand for the time of year when everyone is scarfing down Thin Mints left and right and yapping about freezing them to crumble over ice cream, and hoarding boxes of Do-Si-Dos in their desks at work. (You should still support your local Girl Scout troop! Buy some boxes to send to troops overseas or donate to an orphanage or something.)

I don't have the marvelous secret recipe for the caramel and assembly - over to you, Sara.

Raw: The new black in Baghdad. A little look at spinach, crack dressing and seaweed

Amidst the unsettling background noise that pervades Baghdad - two gems have managed to inject some peace into this place via raw food. At the first raw food dinner, I closed my eyes to be one with the sound of spinach salad laced with crack dressing crunching in my mouth. Jenn asked if I would like some seaweed? I felt the tingle of 'happy to be here' tears well in my eye balls. Um, of course - what are you talking about? Do I want some seaweed with my spinach crack dressing salad? Hell to the yes! What followed was genius - a melody of flavors so complimentary my cheeks flushed crimson. The dried seaweed from Maine - is unlike seaweed used for nori rolls. This seaweed is raw, raked from the sea and dried naturally meaning no sulphur and lots of time, patience and love. Seaweed used this way is scrumptious if lightly bathed in a dressing of some kind or even just water to 1: Unleash the salt within, 2: Soften the chewiness. Seaweed is so versatile, dry it, chop it - use as a sprinkle with your other favorite herbs and add it to stir fry veggies. A great TV snack - edamame beans with a shy sprinkle of dried seaweed. Involuntarily, my hands just stopped typing for a sec, I let out a breathy sigh and clasped my hands in prayer in observance of YUM. The seaweed can dissolve into a saucy dish and take it up a few notches in flavor. Its not a salt 'kick', more like a salt 'back rub' by someone you really like as opposed to Table salt which for your body is like a back rub from a really creepy guy who smells like ass. Do your best to avoid it. Natural salts include this kind and Celtic Sea Salt. Health benefits abound. So, spinach salad with sliced onions, fresh mango, crack dressing and seaweed garnish - subtle, simple, earthy, beachy goodness. Grateful, Satisfied and priviledged to sample in your raw fare and be your first guest writer.

Put Your Chili on My Mango

and eat. Mmmmmmmmm.

Meant for Each Other: Save the Moo-eat Mango Tango

Stopped home for lunch today - leftovers at the living room table. The "save the moo-eat" and mango sauce (which is just mango with some garlic and onion blended in) were sitting seductively next to one another. All cozy in their tupperwares. They might have even been touching. This led Sara to stray from her standard lettuce-save the moo-eat-cashew aioli wrap and douse mango on the save-the-moo-eat. What happened next can only be described as a Save the Moo-eat Mango Tango. In our mouths. These two are meant for each other. They belong together. They complete each other. They're looking forward to their dinner date.

Cobbler for Breakfast

I love raw food because I get to eat dessert for breakfast and feel no guilt. Even better when your roommate brings it to you. Yum.

Like a Gentle Breeze in Your Mouth

Tonight we hosted our first ever entirely-raw dinner party. OK. It wasn't entirely raw, but that truly wasn't our fault. Due to convoy delays and various other co-factors, things were tight at the cafeteria - aka grocery shop - the last couple days. And some ingredients, namely mushrooms and cauliflower, we will never get raw. Let's say there was nothing not raw that wouldn't have been raw if it could have been raw.

Besides our delic "save the moo-eat" from last night's Mexican extravaganza, pineapple-cucumber skewers, bok choy salad, and our clever idea to wrap everything on the table in big pieces of lettuce (thank you, sandwich bar), the dinner was Ani Phyo East Meets West, Desserts or Raw Food Essentials. She's a genius. Here's what we served:

Appetizers

Pineapple Cucumber Skewers with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Crudite Platter (carrots, celery, radish, cucumber) with "Peanut" Thai Dipping Sauce

Tomato Coconut Bisque

Main Course
Mixed Vegetables and Mango with Yellow Curry

"Save the Moo-eat" Lettuce Wraps with Corn and Tomato Garnish and Cashew Garlic Aioli

Mushroom Namul Lettuce Wraps with Mango Sauce

Bok Choy-Onion-Orange salad

Dessert
Peach Cobbler (variation of Mango Cobbler - serious YUM)

Chai Ice Cream
Coconut Ice Cream
Assorted Chocolates

The chocolates were new to me, and they were very cool - easy to make and set in a few minutes. I used our egg holder (which we have for what eggs??) as a mold and followed the ratio of two parts coconut oil to one part cocoa powder, plus a dash of agave. Before pouring the chocolate into the molds, I sprinkled cocoa nibs into each, and added goji berries or coconut to some. I also flavored some of the chocolate mint or almond. The result was delicious bites of chocolately goodness. When I find a raw caramel recipe, I'll try caramel sea salt filled chocolates. Yum.

P.S. Credit to Te for these lovely photos, and for the post title: she declared the Cashew Aioli, "like a gentle breeze in your mouth." Agreed.

Liquid Crack

Nama Shoyu is liquid crack. There. I've put it out there.
 
If you disagree with me, fair enough. But before you win this little argument we're now having, I challenge you to make the salad dressing I've coined "liquid crack" and tell me that Nama Shoyu isn't the new crack to you.

This dressing is from Ani Phyo's new cookbook (what isn't in our lives these days?), but various versions abound out there in internet land. I leave out the chili powder. No spice needed in the liquid crack. Just sesame, crack, and a touch of sweetness.




Liquid Crack
3 T sesame oil
1 T nama shoyu
1 T agave date syrup

Whisk well before you serve, every time - it separates quickly, as demonstrated in our handy picture below. And try not to drink it straight out of the bowl. That's just uncivilized.
 

Mexi Can't? Mexi Can!

There isn't a lot to do here. This is a typical early week. Monday: Mexican buffet at Dojo's. Tuesday: fish curry at the cafeteria. Wednesday: free.

In honor of Mexican buffet night - decidedly not raw and not vegan (but delicious cilantro fish and corn salad) - I made a raw chili tonight. I found the recipe online somewhere - it's everywhere, in various versions - but I think it might be traced back to Ani Phyo (my hero.) She has a version on her site at: www.aniphyo.com. I adjusted the recipes I found according to the bounty of the salad bar and our kitchen cabinets.

Mexican Raw Chili, Baghdad Style
For the chili:

3 cups tomato

1 cup bell pepper (red if possible)

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/3 cup onion

1/3 cup celery

1 T garlic

1/2 tsp black pepper

For the meat topping:
1 cup walnuts (thank you Sara's parents!)
1 T olive oil (thank you dear colleague who carried it all the way to Baghdad from his back yard)
1 tsp - 1 T Nama Shoyu (depending on how salty you want it)
1 heaping tsp curry powder

Chili: chop everything into smallish bits and mix in a bowl with your hands. Scoop a third into the blender and puree; return to bowl and mix. If you use red peppers, as most receipes call for, the chili should be red. Our peppers were mostly green, so it wasn't the loveliest after it came out of the blender. But it tastes amazing so we forgive it. You don't need any salt because the "meat" (we're thinking of calling it "save-the-moo-eat" from now on - what do you think?) is very salty.

Topping: I put the walnuts in a ziploc bag and smashed them with my measuring cup until they were ground beef consistency. You can also grind them up in a food processor. Throw them in a bowl and mix in the other ingredients. Spoon over the bowls of chili. Garnish with something green and fancy.

P.S Sara says she has heartburn right now from eating the chili so fast, but she doesn't regret it because it was so good.

Spinach and Grapes: Who Knew?

Sara has been making another delicious smoothie lately that is a miracle flavor-find: spinach and grapes. Who knew when you blended these two magical ingredients together that the result is a smoothie that makes spinach a joy to drink and doesn't taste like a salad?

Since we only have access to three greens (romaine lettuce, bok choy and spinach), we eat a LOT of spinach. This is a great way to do it. The grapes cut the spinach taste in a way I've never seen an apple or kiwi touch. The coconut butter adds a bit of creaminess and healthy fat to the mix.

Sara's Spinach Grape Deliciousness
1 cup spinach
1 cup grapes - green, purple, or mixed
1/4 cup coconut water (we use a powder)
1/2 T coconut butter (we adore Artisana ... we eat it out of the jar with a spoon)
extra water for blending if needed

Leave the seeds in the grapes, if they have them. Blend it up until smooth-ish. Enjoy.

Ramadan Kareem

Sara made a delicious smoothie today with one of the best foods of Ramadan: dates. She used light colored dates that have a sweet honey taste. It was gone before we could get a picture, so you'll have to make your own to see what it looks like. The best part for me was that the dates and banana covered up the taste of the hemp powder while the burnt-butterscotch-y maca added depth to the sweetness.

Sara's Ramadan Smoothie
1 cup fresh almond milk (1/4 cup almonds and 1 cup pure water)
8 dates
1 banana, frozen
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 teaspoon hemp powder

Soak the almonds for a at least a day, rinsing a couple times. If you have a dehydrator, dry them before using. If you don't have a dehydrator (like us) go for it anyway with the wet almonds. Blend 1/4 cup almonds with 1 cup purified water. If you wish, strain the milk through a nut milk bag. Or, leave the lovely almond bits in the milk, as Sara did.

Pit the dates and add to the almond milk. Cover and stick back in the fridge for another day or two to allow the dates to plump up and their flavor to mingle with the almond milk.

Pour the milk and dates in a blender. Add the maca, hemp and banana. Blend until smooth. Yum!