Friday, May 27, 2011

Going Raw


There is a new restaurant in town called Elizabeth's Gone Raw and I am really interested in trying it out. The price is a bit steep ($75 for a 5-course prix fixe tasting menu) but the message behind the food is what really makes me want to eat there. Elizabeth is a cancer survivor who has used raw and vegan food to assist with her recovery. Vegan eating is tough but vegan cooking...that is a true challenge. How do you make anything delicious without butter and cheese?!?

In my small attempt to make something vegan, I found this recipe in Everyday Food by Martha Stewart. This is a really simple and delicious dish that even my guy had to say that it was pretty good (it must be pretty good if "Mr. MeatPotatoesBacon&Cheese" says so.) I think you will be impressed by how sweet raw corn is and how well it pairs with the lime and salt that is added to the dish. I sliced the zucchini thin enough that it felt cooked after sitting in the lime juice for a bit. Great summer side dish to bring to BBQs.

Raw Corn and Zucchini Salad
Adapted from Everyday Food

2 ears corn, husks and silks removed
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Cut off tips of ears of corn; stand corn in a wide, shallow bowl. With a sharp knife, slice downward to release kernels (you should have about 1 1/2 cups); discard cobs. Transfer kernels to a medium bowl. Add zucchini, lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to combine.

This dish is very cheap. The corn was $4 for 5 cobs (this will get cheaper in a month.) The zucchini was $1 per lb so 2 cost less than $1. Limes were about 50 cents. I used cilantro from my little herb garden on the balcony.

I made this last weekend for my friend's vegetarian party and I used lemon juice instead of lime and I omitted the cilantro (for my cilantro hating friends.) It was very refreshing. I'm sure you can play around with this dish and customize it based on flavor preference.

2 comments:

  1. I'm always so happy to see when you blog :)

    I love making cucumber/tomato/corn salads with cilantro and olive oil and lemon. I guess I never think of them as specifically vegan/raw/etc. They are just good!

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  2. I highly recommend Elizabeth's Gone Raw. It's a really unique dining experience and the food is amazingly good (but very chewy, be warned... real work out for your jaws)

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