New HHH Column!

Ask Angela Your Questions About Raw Gourmet Food!

We get hundreds of questions about what to eat, how to impress cooked friends, etc. And until we met Angela, we thought we had all the answers! But this Gourmet Goddess has more tricks up her sleeve that we ever dreamed of! Which is why you can now send her your questions to our weekly column: "Ask The Divas!"

Dear Angela, I'm new to raw foods and I hear all this talk of dehydrators, juicers, spiral slicers and fancy blenders and frankly, it's discouraging.

Do I need to buy all this stuff in order to make delicious foods for my family! Help! I'm on a budget but I want to be healthy, too! -Jessica M.

Hi, Jessica! You don't need a dehydrator, juicer, spiral slicer or even a fancy blender to make delicious foods for your family. I know all about being on a budget, been there and done that. :-) Here are some great tips:

1. Instead of buying fancy knives, invest in a cheap knife sharpener.

2. Instead of buying a spiralizer or spirooli, use a vegetable peeler.

3. Instead of buying a juicer, and let's say you have a blender, blend up either some veggies or fruits with a little water and then strain and Voila! You have juice.

You can really help the planet by checking to see if there are second hand juicers, blenders, etc available to buy, too. You can find these at great prices just about anywhere.

There are even online groups that participate in recycling items in your house that you can no longer use, and these items are often offered free through the freecycle groups.

I often only use my knives and cutting board and make meals at the beach, so you definitely don't need to buy a bunch of equipment!

Hope this helps.

Thanks for writing in.
Blessings,
Angela

Hot Date With A Cooked Food Cowboy

Dear Angela,

I have a date with a cooked food guy, and I don't want to make a big deal about the fact that I'm trying to be a raw foodist.

I'd just like to be able to prepare a gorgeous, tasty satisfying meal, that's RAW! Can you suggest a couple things to try that would be a guaranteed success?

-Tina R

Hi There, Tina!

These recipes are crowd-pleasers and you absolutely cannot go wrong when you serve them up! Here you go:

Coco Choco Heaven

1 Thai young coconut (you can buy these in any Asian store or Health food stores like Wholefoods) Use both the coconut water and the meat.

Here's a simple tutorial link to opening a Thai Young coconut

1 teaspoon yakon syrup
3 tablespoons raw cacao powder (available at most health food stores or online)
4-5 ice cubes

Open the coconut as shown in the tutorial, scrape out the meat with a spoon and add to the blender, along with the cocao powder, agave, and ice cubes. Blend on high until smooth and serve immediately.

Spicy Asian style dressing

½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup almonds
1 t. Minced ginger
1 t. Minced garlic
1 T. Nama shoyu or Inland Sea Water
1 T. Miso
½ lemon juiced
¼ T. Cayenne
2 dates soaked
¼ Cup water

Serve this marvelous kickin' dressing over salad!

Thanks for writing in. Have fun!
Blessings,
Angela

Dynamite Decorating Tips Revealed

Dear Angela,

I liiiive for gorgeously decorated foods! Can you tell me a secret or two that you use to make your food platters look amazing! Thank you!!

-Karen S.

Hi There, Karen!

I always serve the main dish on a pretty plate decorated with edible flowers. You can also buy kitchen gadgets that allow you to make different shapes out of fruits and vegetables. A mandolin works nicely, too, but they can be dangerous. I like to use avocado's for mango salsa, I slice the avocados in half, scrape out the avocado meat and then I fill the avocado shells with mango salsa, it makes a fantastic presentation appetizer!!

Hope this helps you. Thanks for writing in.
Blessings, Angela