Nori

I found this wonderful website called Raw Sacramento Recipes with loads of recipes just for raw food. I jumped straight to the recipes and started looking through them thinking I’d be happy to make these. This surprised me because I generally flick through recipes in a book or web site and only find a few I’d like to try. But this web site was different.

I think this site resonated with me because the collection of recipes is for day to day use rather than gourmet special occasion use. And they’re absolutely perfect. The introduction suggests applying the 5-5-5 rule to get the most benefit: "... it doesn't have more than 5 ingredients, doesn't take more than 5 minutes to make, and doesn't cost more than $5 for ingredients...", while some braver souls move towards 3-3-3... This all sounds very similar to what I read in the book “12 Steps to Raw Foods” by Victoria Boutenko, so it is no surprise to find recipes attributed to the Boutenko family.

So I’ve started on a new trip of trolling through this web site just to see what I might find.

The first recipe I have attempted is Salsa and Avocado in Nori (copy the recipe name as you will need to paste and search for it on the web page). Now I have bought and eaten nori in the past but haven’t really worked out the best way to use it so this has been my first project.

For lunch I made the salsa along with some hulled sunflower seeds sprouted overnight and wrapped it in a nori sheet and I really enjoyed the taste of the salsa. I think it was the novelty of the lemon/salt combination as I haven’t yet acquired the habit of adding lemon to most meals I prepare. I found the nori wrap didn’t work out as well as I would have liked as it can be quite chewy if the moisture hasn’t sunk into it. I suspect that’s why buying and trying nori in the past hasn’t translated into a permanent habit.

The second time I cut the nori up into little pieces and included it in the salsa rather than as a wrap which was better because the nori became softer when mixed in with the other ingredients. Some cooked chick peas finished off the meal perfectly.

I haven’t given up on finding other options for nori. I have found suggestions to wet the nori so that it becomes more palatable. Sushi beckons but I realise that there is an art to making sushi so will tread carefully. What I know so far about sushi is that I need a special mat, plus I have seen sushi rice in various health food stores so will buy some so I can try it out. In the meantime, I have found a sushi recipe using quinoa which might work for me.

It feels pretty good to be checking out these options. I like the idea of reducing the number of foods in a meal as I could consider this – dare I say – as simplifying my diet, not that I’m on one!