Olivia, The Raw Kitchen

You may have noticed a few of our recipes of late have been courtesy of the lovely Olivia of The Raw Kitchen. We wanted to put a face to the name and introduce you to this popular Auckland business. The Raw Kitchen makes utterly delicious raw cakes, all of which are vegan and free of gluten and refined sugar. The cakes are made to order and sold through a select number of cafes. The Raw Kitchen is run by Olivia Scott, a raw food advocate, passionate about the benefits of raw living. She is currently studying a diploma in nutrition. Meet Olivia….

Q. How did the Raw Kitchen start?

When I started running out of fridge space for the cakes I was making! It began as a hobby, I would often have recipe ideas brewing for a couple of days and the minute I got home I whipped out the blender and started making cakes on a regular basis. I eventually ran out of people to give them to! I began getting orders from friends of friends, and it sort of evolved from there.

Q. Why do you follow a raw diet and how has it improved your health?

I follow a raw diet 90% of the time, as I also believe in balance. There is no perfect diet - everybody is different! I follow a raw diet because my body responds well to it; I feel energized, healthy, focused and enjoy the flavour of foods so much more now. 

Q. What are your simple tips for incorporating more raw food into your diet?

Starting off easy and slowly is important and then naturally you become more creative and confident in what you like.

1. Bulk making: Make up raw smoothies and soups at the beginning of the week and pop them into small containers for the freezer. This can be a raw breakfast and lunch sorted for the week without even thinking about it for another 6 days.
2. Keep a container in the fridge of nuts (almonds, cashews, brazil, walnut, pecan) soaking in water. This 'activates' the nuts as it removes the enzyme inhibiting outer layer of the nut, allowing our body to digest the nut properly without feeling heavy, allowing us to absorb maximum nutrients. These are great for snacking through the day, and a great protein source.
3. Use chia seeds for quick and easy puddings. Chia seeds absorb water and form a jelly consistency, which make for delicious concoctions when combined with coconut milk, cinnamon and a little sweetener (such as raw honey or pure coconut sugar). Leaving this in the fridge overnight makes for a great breakfast option, or even make one before dinner and have for dessert! Chia also provide lots of essential fatty acids.
4. Kale chips are a popular but oh so easy way to incorporate raw foods, and an incredible load of nutrients! People quite often ask where I get my iron from - Kale has more iron than beef! If you rub some coconut oil on your kale, sprinkle some Himalayan sea salt over the top and pop them in the oven for 20 minutes on a very low heat (or until crispy) - voila! Great for pre-dinner snacks.
5. At dinner time try and have a vegetable raw on your dinner plate that you would usually cook. For example: carrot, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower.
6. Add some raw fruits to your salads to increase your enzyme intake
7. Sauces: These are really what make raw lunches and dinners fun. I love making up sauces with cashews, savoury yeast flakes and apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar not only helps with digestion of the food, it adds a great flavour to vegetable dishes, and helped me a lot at initially when easing into the raw diet.

These raw protein bliss balls are perfect if you’d like to try adding more raw food into your diet.

RAW PROTEIN BLISS BALLS

INGREDIENTS 

2 cups soaked dates
3 Tablespoons cacao butter
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 scoop sacha inchi protein powder
1 cup desiccated coconut (for rolling balls)
1 teaspoon salt

ADD ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

Goji berries
Cacao nibs
Chia seeds
Cacao powder
Ginger
Acai powder
Coconut
Vanilla powder
Maca powder

METHOD

1. Blend the dates first, until smooth consistency is reached.
2. Add in your cacao butter and continue until it is a smooth consistency (do not melt cacao butter).
3. Add in your seeds, protein powder and salt – then all your extra superfoods you may like to add. Cacao powder tastes great in these.
4. Roll into balls and then roll on your coconut. Store in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months!