Looking for Inspiration? Take a Tour of Your Kitchen!

For some of us who have made or are transitioning into eating more raw, food preparation can sometimes be very daunting.  Looking through recipe books can be an utter disappointment because the ingredient lists can often contain items that you have never heard of and even if you wanted to go out there and purchase them where would you even start to find them in rural Southern Ontario.

I'm just now beginning to find ingredients that I normally would have to travel into the city to purchase such as thai young coconuts and jicama in my local grocery and health food market.  My husband always laughs when I walk into the grocery store and find a rare item.  I get so excited and happy that I can now make something special.

So where am I going with this?  Well, don't let huge rare ingredients in a recipe get you down.  Instead look in your cupboard and fridge and opt out of the rare stuff in a recipe for something that just speaks to you and is in your kitchen just waiting to be enjoyed.

It's really important to have a few common ingredients in your kitchen at all times to be able to whip something together quickly.

So where do you begin?  Begin with what you already have in your kitchen.  To give you some idea of what I readily have available in my kitchen below is a list of basic ingredients that I use in a variety of  impromptu recipes.

Nuts:                           Seeds:                        Others:                    Oils:
Almonds                     Sunflower                  Almond Butter          Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Walnuts                       Shelled Hemp           Tamari                      Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Peacans                       Flax                           Apple Cider Vinegar
Brazil Nuts                  Sesame                      Nutritional Yeast
Macadamia                  Pumpkin
Hazelnuts                     Chia
Pine Nuts                     Variety of seeds for sprouting
Cashews

Fruit Fresh & Dried:                                  Fresh Veggies:             Herbs and Spices:
Dates                                                             Spinach                         Himalayan Salt
Raisans                                                          Kale                              Cayenne Pepper
Apples                                                           Mixed field greens        Chipolte powder
Oranges                                                         Green onions                Oregano, dried
Pineapple                                                       Red onions                   Basil
Melon                                                            Zucchini                      
A variety of berries, fresh and frozen           Tomatoes fresh and sun dried
Shredded coconut                                          Jicama
Bananas                                                         Cauliflower
Pears                                                              Broccoli
                                                                      Avocado
                                                                      Beets
                                                                      Tomatoes (fresh and sun dried)
                                                                      Fresh sprouts
                                                                      Cucumbers
                                                                      Carrots
                                                                      Mushrooms (dried and fresh)
                                                                   
Having these basic ingredients readily available in your kitchen will give you the basics for any meal.

Now, get in there, take a look at what you have at hand, and let your ingredients guide you in making something raw for tonights diner!

Have a Totally Raw Friday Everyone!