Trying something new...

[DotfromOz]

Well, I finally found out what those cylindrical white things with the Conehead top are that I'd been seeing in Asian food markets, thanks to Alissa's DVD. :)

Not only have I bought my very first young coconut to have for breakfast in the morning, but I even know how to get into the thing, thanks again to Alissa's DVD.

I LOVE THIS SITE! ('scuse me for yelling, but I am just soooooo excited as I absolutely LOVE coconut and cannot WAIT to try this new food!!!)

What have you tried since going raw that you'd never eaten before? How was it?

[Autumn]

I never had a date in my life before going raw (meaning the food, not a romantic date LOL!) They are deLISH! I always imagined they would taste like prunes so I never tried one. Now I am addicted!

I still have never had an avocado in my life. That is my next thing to try as soon as I find one!

[angelandarose]

WHERE in KANSAS did you find a young coconut????????? I live in no man's land and had to drive 60 miles one way just to find coconut oil. I need to come down for a day trip. ;-)

[VeganVixen]

lol, every week I try to get a new type of produce and I recently got an UGLI fruit -I didnt like it at all ,it tasted like an unripe orange-lemon mix ,and for 3 dollars I could have just gotten more yummy oranges! lol

[VeganVixen]

btw I have never had a young coconut ,I always think that they will be way too fatty,are they ?

I typically have a problem digesting fat.

[DotfromOz]

Almost ALL of the Asian markets here in Wichita have them, Angie. I've been cooking a LOT of Chinese and Japanese for about 3 years and shop regularly at a couple of the nicer ones, so I'd been seeing young coconuts but had not Clue #1 what they were.

I'll PM ya with directions for a raw shopping trip, as I doubt that very many people on the board as a whole are going to be coming to Wichita, Kansas to shop raw very soon. :D

[DotfromOz]

I don't know, but I'd guess that they're pretty watery so probably not as fatty as a mature coconut. Haven't eaten mine yet. I'm guessing from how gooey the insides looked when Alissa broke into it on her DVD.

Maybe someone else can chime in who's actually eaten one.

< sigh > I'm probably not going to eat mine yet after all. I was very, very SAD-bad last night and ate a couple of pieces of New York-style pizza with 3 kinds of cheese on it. Not that I didn't know better...Talk about doing a job on both my sinuses and digestion! It's looking like a juice-only day for me. :(

[Punky]

I never had a young coconut or a Cherimoya before going raw.
I love them both! Cherimoya's can be expensive but are so good and unique.
Taste's like tuttifrutti. Also Kale is something new since raw.
Love it in a kale/avocado salad.

[Revvell]

trying to remember what I've eaten new.

Young thai coconut for sure (might google it to see how truly wonder-filled this fruit is), cherimoy, starfruit (I think) and passionfruit. Mixed a bunch of passionfruit with a banana for the most yummy "pudding"!

Oh! I think kale and chard are new to me also.

Injoy ~

Revvell

[blue_sky]

new items since being raw....

cherimoya=yuck
durian=yuck X 1,000,000
raw kale= yum marinated or in a smoothie, before i didn't even know it could be eaten raw!!!
young coconut=pretty yum
carob powder=yum in a smoothie or raw "chocolate"
almond milk=yum (of course i had had almonds before but not the milk)

of course those are only my opinions :)

[sweetgoddess]

New things
mango~ undecided if I like it
asian pear~~ YUM ( dont like pears so I was surprised)
kale~ its growing on me
coconut oil~ yum
carob~yum
flax~ depends!
yam~ugh
brazil nut~yum
almond butter~ oh very very yum
Braggs~ gross me out!
tahini~depends
halvah~ YUMMY IN MY TUMMY
jicama-good
almond milk-yum

[Rawkinlocs]

LOL@ blue_sky and how much she "loves" durian! :D

Well let's see:

raw greens (the dark ones like kale, spinach, collards) - Good if chopped thinly or marinated
mango - liked it
young coconut - hate it
kiwi - like it
lychee - different but not too bad
zucchini - it's okay but really like it dehydrated into chips
nut butters - LOVE 'em
nut/seed milks - like some of them - almond milk is still not a favorite of mine
tahini - it's okay in recipes or dressings
avocado - don't like them unless blended to make salad dressing or in some recipe but not sliced and eaten with other veggies or by itself

[catherinethegreat]

let's see:

young coconut - ( by far my favorite thing in on the planet. )

raw almond butter - yes!
Raw Carob Powder - No - Not a huge fan of carob or chocolate!
Almond Milk - Yes!
Sun Dried Peruvian Olives - Yes - but only a few at a time. So Strong tasting. But even better when I marinate them in olive oil and garlic.
Raw Power Olives - YES! ( from Natures first Law )
Hemp Seeds - Yes!
Goji Berries - No.

that's it I think for food staples, but as far as rwa food in restaurants I am thrilled by all the tasty new things I've tried! I dream about them!

My favorite right now is:

Gorilla Sandwich~

Cucumber stuft with marinated kale, avocado, olives, walnuts, and mustard greens.

the kale salad inside is so tasty.

Also had
Raw icecream - not my favorite - but good if necessary!

[Punky]

I didn't care for goji berries either; taste odd to me.
My bag is sitting here all full. I will give it another go and try them in
some recipes and re-evaluate than.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Rejuvelac - Ghastly. Tasted like rotting cheese soda.

NFL's Raw Peruvian Olives - Really bad

Raw sprouted hummous - Rarely good. Too sprouty-dirty tasting...needs lots of ingredients to cover up the flavor.

Cacao nibs - Good in fudge and chocolate recipes. Leaves a strange aftertaste. Unsure how raw it really is (fermented)

Almond Butter - Addicting

Cashew Butter - More addicting

Almond milk - Love it, especially in smoothies

Young coconut - love it. Very refreshing, especially first thing in the AM or after a strenous workout. The water is much better when it's cold though

Old coconut (Gilligan's Island type) - Water is not good, almost sour - flesh very tedious to remove. Also, it is higher fat content

Cherimoya - Love it, but it's really bad if it's overripe - don't buy if it's too squishy and has brown spots.

Sapote - Really, really good.

Durian - The 2 times I tried it, didn't like. Tasted & smelled like sweet gassy onions. Wanted to like it from all the hooplah. Left a bad taste coming up in burps afterward.

Persimmon - Really good when they are ripe. If they're not squishy enough, they suck out all of your saliva.

Mango - My favorite fruit in the world.

Kumquat - Not really new as my uncle had a kumquat tree - they are a bit strange, very sweet and sour and the rind leaves a bitter taste on the tongue.

Crenshaw melon - Absolute favorite melon. It tastes like a very light cantaloupe melon.

Guava - We had a guava bush at my house growing up. I remember cutting them in half and eating with a spoon. Once I got some frozen guave from TJ's to put in a smoothie, and it was horrible. I miss fresh guavas off the bush.

[rawruh]

Avocado/Banana and Guava juice!!! Heaven in a glass.

no sweetener needed, a little bit of water maybe.

also never used to like fresh coconut juice in past, but after some months on raw, i find it sweet and pleasant.

Fresh ripe dates straight off the tree! Better than chocolate any day.

[Revvell]

lychees ~ yummers
raw tahini ~ only mixed with something else so it's "hidden" totally icky-poo otherwise.

I still want to try durian. Haven't found it yet!!!

Maybe Catherine knows since she's near me?

Injoy ~

Revvell

[sweetgoddess]

Sharon, what is Sapote???

Catherine, not a fan of chocolate?

*THUD*

[Sharon in Colorado]

Sharon, what is Sapote???



Here's a photo of one. Mine was white fleshed. There are also black-fleshed ones called chocolate sapotes.

http://tfphotos.ifas.ufl.edu/050103.htm

[sweetgoddess]

wow thanks. Is it like a pear or plum?? How curious. :p

[catherinethegreat]

yep sweetgoddess - I've been un interested in anything that is carob and not tempted by chocolate in any way.

It does seem that the longer I'm raw the less I want really sweet or surgary tasting things. Agave nectar is too sugry for me too. Even dates sometimes are too much.

I crave salty things more - like a good ole kale salad with lemon and olive oil dressing!

Durian. I was just asking Jerry if he wanted to go hunt one down. We are thinking they are hidding in Alhambra where a lot of asian markets are. Havne't had one yet. Curious though.

*c

[sweetgoddess]

wow rollerblading and durian--you are such a brave gal! of course you will keep us all posted, right? curiouser and curiouser.........

[PixieGreen]

Mangos- delectable weirdness
Agave Nectar- yum!
Cacao Nibs - love them
Sprouted Wheat, kamut and rye- rye yuck, wheat okay, kamut will be my new staple [VERY good]
Dates - too sweet & remind me of roaches so eat mushed sparingly
Figs -okay with nuts
Chinese eggplant -make excellent "bacon"
Nut milk -staple, I love it
Pumpkin Seed Butter -very good, tastes like peanut butter
Flax Seeds - too heavy for me, bug connotation again
Braggs/ Plum Vinegar -like both in small doses
Turnips -unpleasant texture
Raw olives - is there an easy way to remove the pits? Too salty to eat alone, good garnish

I am ridiculously picky, my taste buds and sense of smell are very sensitive. But I have found more raw ingredients and recipes that I really like than I ever have with cooked food. I never could eat reheated leftovers, could always tell when items were microwaved, don't like beans or many cooked grains or soy [why I ultimately quit vegetarianism years ago], and I can taste preservatives and some pesticides. I'm SO grateful to have stumbled on the raw lifestyle. I'm enjoying food for the first time in over a decade. :)

[asil]

Yummy, yummy, yummy, I ADORE young coconut!!! I converted the produce buyer at the closest grocery store too. He now gets cases in and calls me when he does. I buy them out :).

BTW -- as to digestibility: I think they're highly digestible, esp the water. But I don't have trouble with fat digestion, myself, that I've noticed. Google the words and you'll find all these stories about very sick people thriving on young coco water.

[Sharon in Colorado]

wow thanks. Is it like a pear or plum?? How curious. :p

No it's not really like one, but it tastes a bit pear-ish, a bit banana-ish a bit mango-ish, a little like a cherimoya. It's very exotic tasting and it's creamy.

[DotfromOz]

Finally felt up to par enough to tackle my young coconut. Hmmmm...not quite what I expected, having been a kid who ate sweetened shredded coconut right outta the bag or can to the point that Mom had to make me stop. Not that I expected that level of intensity from this... ;)

Very subtle. I wouldn't even know it was a coconut if not for all the work getting the thing open! Vaguely reminds me of a terribly bland egg custard I once had. Consistency of the meat is something like over-easy egg white, I think.

I DO like the milk! Quite refreshing, but I'm wondering if the one I got just isn't fantastic as it seems fairly flavorless. Mebbe that's just the remaining sinus congestion from my pizza fiasco last night.

Hmmm...interesting. I'm now alternating a spoonful of the meat with a sip of the milk. That's a combination I really like!

Hokay...basically pretty good. Will hafta try another to see how it compares to this one.

[VeganVixen]

thanks dot and,asil

Mango- Love em'

cherimoya-havent tried but will soon.

hummus-I adore it ,but it must be flavored right...utherwise I dislike VERY much...

raw soaked oat groats-yum

pommelo-VERY overated -tase nauseatingly sweet and sour at the same time

ugli fruit -also overrated-you know how I feel about that fruit

papaya-yum if perfectly not too ripe

carob /choc. -okay -but Im not a fan of choc. in the first place

starfruit-okay ,not anything remarkable

sweet potatoes-I hate them cooked or baked-LOVE them as chips non and dehydrated,but must be thin

dates -WAY too good ,but a bit too sugary sometimes

nuts-HELLO my name is VV and I used to be an addict when I was A vegan doing lower carb -It has been 7months 3days and 3hours-I will not suffer for my addiction again and no longer binge on them plain -only use as ingredients in the rare nut-based recipe! yay!!!

nur butters-see above!

[DotfromOz]

Vixen--You might like the sweet potato soup recipe I got out of Mars's book, Rawsome!

Peel and chunk up your sweet potato. Toss in blender with a cup of filtered water and blend until potato is smallish chunks. Add chunks of one mediumish avocado and about a 1/2 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt or to taste. Blend until it's soupy, adding more water as needed to get the consistency you want.

Very un-sweet-potato-ish in terms of taste. Has a light, mild taste more like raw squash than sweet potato.