My Search for Optimum Health

Part IV: Sweet Delights!!

By Lief Let USS

Raw desserts are exceptional compared to any desserts. I use food -processed avocados along with cacao and some agave syrup (a sweetener), and sometimes some vanilla, to make a dark chocolate mousse that's to die for! It's quick; it's easy and oh sooo delicious! Non raw friends insist it must have dairy in it because it's so smooth and creamy. It's my go-to recipe when I crave chocolate and I usually end up eating it out of the food processor. Most raw food (un) cook books will contain a section on raw desserts - some good ("Raw Food Real World" by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melingailis) and others not so good. There are now numerous stand-alone raw food preparation books. One of my favourites is: "Ani's Raw Food Desserts: 85 Easy Delectable Sweets and Treats." My variation on the pineapple frozen dessert - the first recipe in this book - has proved exceptionally popular at raw and non-raw potlucks alike. Again I used a variation on Ani's recipe for Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake to make my sister's birthday cake. Another exceptional book on raw desserts is: "Sweet Gratitude: A New World of Raw Desserts" by Matthew Rogers and Tiziana Alipo Tamborra. It's more of a special occasion recipe book used when you want to knock the socks off special company you're having over for dinner and have lots of time for preparation.

Some potential converts to raw food are put off when they encounter the cost of equipment. And while it's true that all you need is a sharp knife and other standard equipment that you probably already have in your kitchen, there are some pieces that will greatly enhance your experience of raw food preparation.  If, at first, you can only afford, one piece of equipment, my advice would be to purchase a powerful high speed blender. Now you may believe you already have a powerful blender, but unless it can turn cashews and a little water into "cashew cream" that is of the consistency of a smooth cream cheese, then you really don't.  If you paid less than about $500 it's doubtful you have a blender that can do well some tasks in raw food preparation. That's not to say that you can't make a rough facsimile of raw food recipes with standard equipment - you can.  Your green smoothie (widely popular for their health benefits among the health conscious) might be a little chewy; your cheese cake might be a little crunchy and you might wonder why your recipes don't turn out like the pictures in the book. The two blenders most used by those who consume raw food are: Vita-Mix and Blendtec. If you google them you'll find a wealth of information. Here in Victoria Triangle Healing sells the Blendtec. On-line there are numerous Canadian suppliers. I balked at paying the money required to purchase one of these machines for about a year and a half after I had "gone raw," so it is possible to get by without them. It's just not as enjoyable or tasty. Now I have both machines on my counter (you don't need both), never put them away and use them a minimum of once a day, usually twice and frequently more times. They are the cornerstones of my kitchen prep. My stovetop, in the meantime, serves as a counter top for my juicer and composter. But juicers, dehydrators and food processors are topics for another time.

"The information contained in my writing above is subjective and based on my own personal experience. It is not intended to be diagnostic or to replace medical advice. Always consult your primary care physician when making changes that might impact you. Remember that you, ultimately are responsible for your own health."