First raw food... the jury is in...

[janus.rising]

Well my little girl and I made our first raw recipes and unfortunately, we met with limited success.

We made the kale chips but NO one liked them. My 3-year old said they were sour and I thought they just had a very strange taste. Could be the recipe we used, but like many people on the board say, I wish I could try some of these from someone who knows how to make them well and go from there.

Here was the recipe we used (from rawketscience's blog):

In a mixing bowl pour a couple Tablespoons of olive oil, some (1/2t or less) of garlic, onion and chili powder, some cayenne, 1t of salt.. & I think I put 1 t of basil... & maybe a bit of cumin. Mix all together and then put the kale in the bowl and mix it into the oil mixture.

It just seemed that there wasn’t enough of the mix to adequately cover the kale. Next time I get brave enough to try these, I’ll try using DebB’s recipe that she shared in my other paost… the only problem is that the only two nuts I can find around here are walnuts and Spanish Peanuts.

We also made a version of Lara bars. These tasted fine, but didn’t firm up at all. The problem is I tried to get cute and make apple cinnamon. I subbed ½ an apple for half of the dates. Not a good idea!

Here is recipe we used:

1/4 cup chopped dates (roughly chopped whole dates, not pre-chopped)
1/4 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
1/3 cup whole pecans, almonds or walnuts
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Finally, we made banana ice cream… this one we couldn’t screw up! :D Loved it of course, but it was hell on my food processor :eek:… tore up the lid. Gave me an excuse to go buy a new one, so life is good! LOL (reminder to self to never but a half of a frozen solid banana in the new FP)

My next few goals are to find some “chip” and cracker recipes I like. Luckily I’ve never been too big on sweets, but I love my salty chip and cracker type foods, so I really need something easy and quick as a replacement.

[raweater]

I haven't tried that kale chip recipe but olive oil (or any oil) cannot be dehydrated so they cannot get crispy. Here's the kale chip recipe from my recipe book, make sure you dehydrate them until completely dry and crispy, they taste bad until they are completely dry:

1 bunch of kale, stems removed, torn into chip size pieces
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup organic soy sauce (not a raw product) or water and ¼ tsp Celtic salt
1/4 cup fresh basil or cilantro
Juice of one lime
2 green onions, cut in 3cm/1 inch pieces
1 clove garlic
¼ tsp Celtic Salt
Place torn kale in a large bowl. Blend all remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour
over kale and mix well to coat kale evenly. Place kale chips on dehydrator sheets
and dehydrate for 24 hours at 40°c/105°f, until fully dry and crispy.

[anniez]

Can you order some raw nuts online? I love Cheezy Kale Chips. Just make one of Alissa's cheeses and massage it well into the kale. Really mush it up. Then just dehydrate. I love these and have to be careful to not pig out on them because my body doesn't like a lot of nuts. The cheeses are nut based.

You might like it this way. I surely do!

Annie

[Revvell]

Google or even find here, Chrissy's Goddess Kale Chips. The problem with the one you used ~ onion and garlic powders. How about substituting REAL onion and REAL garlic. I've tried making stuff with the powders... I don't like the taste/aftertaste of either after eating the real stuff.

Some fp's can actually take a half of a frozen banana. The cheap ones can't. How did it possibly tear up the lid? I would think it would burn up the engine. I add warm water if mine has a problem. If you have the right juicer, you could run frozen fruit through it. Champion is one of the best for frozen fruits/ice cream.

[snoops]

olive oil (or any oil) cannot be dehydrated so they cannot get crispy.

raweater - I use olive oil in mine and they get crispy. I only use a TBSP in a huge bowl of kale though so maybe if they don't get crispy you are using too much olive oil.

[Revvell]

*nod,nod,nod* :)


raweater - I use olive oil in mine and they get crispy. I only use a TBSP in a huge bowl of kale though so maybe if they don't get crispy you are using too much olive oil.

[xPIXIEx]

Maybe you're not using enough nuts or too many dates for the lara bars? I don't use a recipe to make mine. Normally, I just throw in a good bit of mixed nuts, a few dates and some cinnamon. Sometimes I'll add other stuff, like raisins or vanilla. I just add more dates as needed....until it becomes play-doh-esque. I wrap it in wax paper and put it in the fridge. It sets nicely.

[RawKnitster]

I think maybe you put too many spices/herbs on the kale chips. I would definitely drop the basil from that mixture.

Two Tablespoons of oil is about right for a bunch (6-8 leaves) of kale. Take time to massage it in with your finger tips getting all surfaces of the kale coated with oil.

I stopped adding nama shoyu, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne. I made a batch once and forgot to add those. The next time I made a batch and added the seasonings I realized I didn't like it as much as the plain chips. Now I just sprinkle the oiled kale with 1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt and 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast.

The cheezy kale is my other favorite, but I only make at special times.

[RawKnitster]

Also, tastes change as you go along the raw path. If I say I don't like something, the next thing I know, I'm liking it. :)

[janus.rising]

Thanks you all for the input... I'll definitely try your suggestions.

The kale chips were crunchy, that certainly wan't an issue. I think it might have been the spices.

as far as the lara bars go, I think part of the issue is I'm just not used to "cooking" raw. i wanted "Apple Pie" bars and thought I was going to be able to just throw stuff together and voila! But, I spent many years learning how to cook hot foods (which I'm darned good at), and I can't expect that level of skill going into something so new. I'm just so used to being able to create dishes based on my tastes versus following recipes... oh well, I'm not giving up, that's for sure!

As far as the FP...I don't know HOW it happened! Somehow that baby kicked that banana up (it was a hlaf banana solidly frozen) and the end of the banana hit the lid and cracked it! Could still use the FP but like I said, I was looking for an excuse to upgrade anyway and now my wife can't yell a me about it :D

Once again though, thanks for all the input...I really, really appreciate it!

[Green_Woman]

Somehow that baby kicked that banana up (it was a half banana solidly frozen) and the end of the banana hit the lid and cracked it!

Use more bananas, and add a little liquid next time. I find that if I put too SMALL an amount in my Food Processor, it will start smelling like an electrical fire... use MORE ingredients and don't be afraid to add some liquid!!!

Also, just wanted to say I was grinning at your "I'm darn good at it" comments on your culinary skills!! I love your enthusiasm about trying new recipes and I look forward to reading more posts where your Culinary Skills start kicking into RAW gear. :D

Hang in there! There's a learning curve to RAW, and just be gentle on yourself as you go: your tastebuds WILL CHANGE!!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

i agree with the message that your taste buds will change. what you may not like today... try again in a few months or a year... you may love it!