Maybe it's because I'm only a week into raw foods, but the smell of everyone's take-out at work is driving me crazy. Chinese, Italian, Indian, Mexican, etc., we've got it all floating around here today! It smells fantastic.

Even though I know that eating a cooked meal already makes my gut feel like it's been bombed, I was wondering how those of you who do not eat simply whole fruits and veggies spice things up a bit? Are you resolved to stick to the natural flavors of raw foods or do you spice things up for a Chinese or Indian flair from time to time? If so, how do you do it?

The smell might be especially tough to deal with if your body is cleaning out the same foods you used to eat, good luck!

I used to work at an Indian restaurant, so it was difficult for me to part with all the veggie curries (channa masala!~). Now, occasionally (since there is some dispute about whether or not to use spice), I'll take 1 cup of sprouted lentils, throw two tomatoes in the blender, and to the sauce add liberal amounts of curry powder, chili powder, garam masala, tumeric, and cumin seeds. The spices PROBABLY aren't raw, but I got them from an Indian grocery and there are no preservatives (watch out for the processed curry flavor packs). It hits the spot like you would not BELIEVE.

Eventually, I supposed I could get the raw spices myself and grind them, but I don't make curries too often, and I've already had the bags of spices since before I went raw. Usually, the taste of fruits or a naked salad is enough for me, but when I do want a curry, this is the way to go. I eat it cold. I also couldn't even IMAGINE going back to the old, cooked, greasy stuff now! Better to leave it in the romance of memory.

Raw hummus is great if you're craving Mediterranean, made with sprouted chick peas, of course. =)

Indian food is my all-time favorite. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE curry! Channa Masala is a particular favorite of mine!

I don't intend to give up spices. They bring too much pleasure to my life. I receive all of my Indian spices from a small market in India. As long as they are not chemically processed, I'm fine with spices. I want to be at least a month into raw foods before integrating spices though.

I would like to hear how others use spices. How does using them with raw foods differ with cooking them? Quantity, for example.

Simple Living I was in the same boat as you at first. I put a lot of lemon juice on things, I like that flavor a lot.
As I've got more into raw I'm noticing that a lot of things just smell burnt to me. I used to walk by Mongolian BBQ on my lunch break every day and my mouth would just water, now I walk by there and it smells gross and burnt to me, I'm wanting to change the route I walk on to avoid it. When I go to the grocery store the bread smells burnt and the nectarines smell mouth watering. It's hard to resist tempation at first and I will admit to caving in several times and getting vegetable fried rice and veggie stir fry. If you do, don't beat yourself up about it just get back on track and you'll be fine. I also found that the more raw I was, the more things like rice and anything greasy or spicy disagrees with me. It stopped smelling good probably because I knew it would hurt my stomach.
Just give it time. You'll be fine. I'm really impressed with how well you've done so far.I've been reading your posts and I think you're making an amazingly fast transition. It makes me kind of jealous!

I was spice-free for my first two months, and I must recommend, reintroduce them *slowly.* I don't have any problems with the Indian spices--I find myself wanting a little more cumin or tumeric (I'd love to find fresh tumeric, it's supposed to be very cleansing!)... but just a little bit of cayenne, which I used to eat in exorbitant amounts... I paid for that all day into the next morning. No more cayenne for me. =\

I use them the same, to taste, haven't noticed any difference in quantity. Maybe less, sometimes cooking kills a lot of flavor so you have to keep adding to compensate. I don't use salt though.

Opinion: For the most part, if you can SMELL it, the life force aint IN it. Heh...heh.

-There are certainly plenty of fresh, raw plant foods that YOU can add to your meals to spice things up. Herbs, roots, leaves, etc. It's all good.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Oh David that's just not true, hehe. I was at the store the other night, walked by the nectarines and they smelled better to me than anything cooked has probably ever smelled! It's not a strong smell like Chinese food or anything, but fruit smells delicious to me just the same. I love the way my kitchen smells after I go grocery shopping and it's full of fruits and veggies.

My all time favorite is Thai red curry with duck. I have given that up for 1 month. I wonder if anyone has the recipe for Thai red curry.

I love and use all herbs and spices. Beware of those though that "say" all of them are deadly poisens.

elnatural

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Simple Living Wrote:
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> I was wondering how those of you who do not eat
> simply whole fruits and veggies spice things up a
> bit? Are you resolved to stick to the natural
> flavors of raw foods

That is an interesting point. I can only speak for myself about this but their is no being "resolved to stick to the natural flavors of raw foods". I like the taste of the natural raw foods as is so that I just don't need or want spices and flavorings beyond those occurring in the foods naturally. There is no white knuckle involved. The natural taste is just right and dosn't need anything else.

I'm loving using fresh turmeric at the moment. I grate it and ginger, and marinate them in lemon juice and flax oil, maybe add some dried coriander (cilantro) leaf. Great as a dressing for salad or to marinate mushrooms or courgettes (zucchini).

I do like to use various spices, whole and fresh if possible but also dried. Chilli, cumin, coriander, sage, basil, etc.

I also find wild herbs, at the moment wild garlic and chives.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Ha! ha! You KNOW what I mean Brenna. That clingy cloud that drifts from room to room and sticks to your clothes. Not too many people SMELL like a pineapple from browsing the pineapple section. Those concentrated smells usually indicate there isn't much of the good stuff left in the food....heh..heh.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Just giving ya a hard time David!

B: Now you sound like my partner at work! I DEMAND raw food support! LOL.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

This has turned into a fun thread. I know maui_butterfly will have pearls of organic, sassy wisdom to add once she gets online. She's one creative lady.

I enjoy the aromas and hope they always smell good to me. You run into them everywhere and I would hate to get to the point where my nose feels assaulted everywhere I go!

brenna, My transistion has been too fast for my liking. My body is transitioning me, not the other way around. After three days of raw, my first cooked meal made my stomach hurt. After five days, so did the second cooked meal. This just seems highly unusual after less than a week. My body is basically demanding that I eat raw or it will call my mother.

phantom, Good point. I don't want to lose my ability to eat spices so I'm going to start using them right away. So, I'll be 99.something raw. I can live with that!

rost, That's what I was thinking, too. Thanks for confirming it.

David, I love ya, but ya lost this one! Spices rock! )

cpak, If it's curry, I have the recipe. Thai red curry is spicy and I have a recipe to make it as a paste. It's not 100% raw though. It has soy sauce, to replace the fish sauce. It also has about a dozen ingredients. Let me know if you want it, I'll send it to you when I get home from work.

elnaturel, I agree. I am of the firm believe that no natural food is "poison."

EZ rider, I was very careful how I worded what you quoted because I knew you would comment on it! LOL The word "resolved" isn't a negative one at all. It doesn't mean that someone would be "settling for" or "putting up with" the flavors of natural foods. Not at all. It was meant as a question to those who have decided that the only food and flavors they're going to consume are those naturally in whole, raw foods. The flavors in raw foods is great, but adding some spice can enhance those flavors for those who'd like to. I really enjoy great melds of spicy flavors!

Quote

I'm loving using fresh turmeric at the moment. I grate it and ginger, and marinate them in lemon juice and flax oil, maybe add some dried coriander (cilantro) leaf. Great as a dressing for salad or to marinate mushrooms or courgettes (zucchini).

Rob, I am definitely trying that! Thanks!

I have an idea for an Indian type flavored dish to try tonight. I have no idea how it will come out but I am making it with sprouted garbanzos and sunflower seeds, chopped carrots and celery stirred into a curry sauce. I have no idea how I am going to make it, just going to wing it.

I really need spice to keep me happy. I love cayenne. I always put it in my soup.

Simple Living Wrote:
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> cpak, If it's curry, I have the recipe. Thai red
> curry is spicy and I have a recipe to make it as a
> paste. It's not 100% raw though. It has soy
> sauce, to replace the fish sauce.

I use seaweed soak water to replace fish sauce in Thai curry recipes, it has that kind of fishy/sea flavour.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

pakd4fun Wrote:
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I really need spice to keep me happy. I love cayenne. I always put it in my soup.

I know just what you mean! I put cayenne on almost everything...



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

I loved the taste when I had my last dance with cayenne, don't get me wrong.

I tolerate fresh chilis better... not the insanely hot ones, but I can still do jalepenos.

When I was cooked vegan, I would put literally TABLESPOONS of cayenne in certain dishes I liked with it. I loved the sweat and the feeling it gave me in my chest. Good times, insane times... :O

I notice that when I add spice to any dish...the cooked food cravings come on STRONG...so I try to avoid adding spices for the most part and usually only use ginger,basil, parsley and cilantro to flavor things.

I guess if your cooked food cravings come on strong with spices it would probably be an emotional craving.

My Indian sprout thing came out pretty yummy, BTW. I will def. make it again.

oh gosh, i have to be organic and sassy now... the pressure!

but seriously, i go back and forth on the spices thing. before raw, i was a stellar cook. (when my brother heard i was only eating raw food, he said "that's a total waste of a great cook right there. if my wife went raw, no one would notice, she can't cook at all. but YOU?" i'm one of those people who can take a bite of something and tell you exactly what's in it ("that's thai basil and star anise!" so spices have a place in my heart, and are a big part of how i used to express myself creatively.

i don't see intellectually how they could be bad for you. however, i notice i make better food choices when i am not trying to make my raw food taste like some cooked food substitute. (not to mention my raw pates are a disaster, seriously someone should revoke my vitamix license around nut pates.) that said, i'm still in the stage of just noticing, and i haven't made my mind up to act on that observation by deciding to cut out spices from my diet.

i also notice i am choosing fresh parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, oregano, thyme, ginger, turmeric, and (occasionally) garlic for the bulk of my creations. if someone would have told me before raw that i would be putting my cumin and chile pequin back on the shelf, and using about 3 cloves of garlic a week, i would have told them to go wash their mouths out with soap.

When I was first transitioning to all raw, I had a hard time being around cooked food because my body still associated the smells of cooked foods with as being food for me. When I transitioned my diet to a more fruit based diet, it became very easy for me to be around people eating cooked foods, whether I was eating or not, because my body associated sweet and fruity smells as food for me, rather than the salty, savory, and pungent smells of cooked foods.

When I was still eating some cooked foods, I didn't have an issue being around cooked foods and not eating it. But it got harder when I went to all raw.

I have to agree with that. There's no denying that being around the smell of cooked foods triggers wanting some. There's no avoiding it in my office. Breakfast and lunch both fill the office with the aroma of cooked foods. I work at the Federal Reserve Bank and we have a cafeteria and a restaurant. Breakfast is my favorite meal, so I must admit to missing those. And my coffee and tea with Carnation Evaporated Milk.

Spices really help to ease the transition time for me.

I tried to sprout garbanzo beans so I could make hummus, which is one of my FAVORITE things in the world, but it was NASTY. They were still so hard that the hummus was lumpy, a little crunchy (yuck), and tasted a bit like dirt :-( What did I do wrong???

~Amelia
"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what
you're going to do now and do it."
– William C. Durant

Amelia, you could try making hummus with zucchini instead of garbanzo beans, I've not tried it myself but I have heard it works well, you get the flavours from the other ingredients and the zucchini provides the texture.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Amelia

Cafe Gratitude in the SF Bay Area serves hummus made from sprouted almonds. It's pretty darn tasty. I'm sure there's other stuff in it, but I don't know what. The menu says the basis is sprouted almonds.
Myself, I'm wondering about sprouting garbanzos generally, and I will start another thread on that topic. If you've got help or interest, look there please.

Colin

hmm... spices on raw food, that is a great idea. I have to learn what goes with what, I love the idea of Indian or Thai spices on raw food.

You know what's strange is that even after 6 months of being a vegan and ethically opposed to animal foods and not wanting many fried (vegan) foods, I had an aversion to omni-smelling foods and fried food smells.

For years, like 5 years!

And then 3 months after high- or all-raw, I like the smell of fried foods, including omni foods. I'm sure it will pass, but it's strange!

Sorry that doesn't have much to do with spice, though....don't mean to be too off-topic.

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